In the Tower
by RebeccaFoxx
Summary: Every fairytale is the same. A knight in shining armor saves a Princess from a tower and a fire-breathing beast, or so Rose thought. When it's her turn to be the damsel in distress, she discovers that things aren't always as they seem, and that looks can be deceiving... Fantasy AU Because I can!
1. Locked Away

**Well, I got bored and this happened. I'm having a lot of fun writing this, and chapter two should be up soon! This won't be a very long story, just a break between projects. Don't really know what inspired this, other than the fact that I used to love fairytales as a kid, and thought that these characters would totally fit! Anyway, that's it from me! Review if you liked it, favourite if you loved it!**

The tower, in Rose's opinion, was the absolute WORST part of the whole arrangement. She knew that the dragon should be the thing that bothered her, but she couldn't care less about the fire-breathing beast. Something about being alone and secluded just made her skin crawl. Her friends were her usual escape from that feeling, but she couldn't just sneak out and see them like usual due to the dragon. It was also considered tradition for the princess of the realm to be rescued by a knight or another brave soul, but she found the whole idea quite stupid. For one, she would hardly even KNOW her rescuer. What if he hated her? Or even worse? What if she hated him? Those were the arguments she presented to her mother, but she just sighed.

"Rose, sweetheart, I'm afraid I don't get a say in what gets done around here."

"I know..." She scuffed her shoes on the cold stone as she walked toward certain doom. Martha, Donna, Clara, and Amy were gathered outside, none of them speaking as she entered the courtyard. She was immediately bombarded with a group hug, along with their condolences. None of them were royals, but she was grateful for their support.

"We'll write to you every week, promise! But you have to write back!" Rose giggled and agreed.

"You bet! You're what I'm going to miss most, believe me." She spoke the latter part quietly, so her mother wouldn't hear. Rose managed to give her friends a weak smile as she boarded the carriage, more than a little bit frightened, but trying her best to stay hopeful. She was to be dropped at the tower roughly a half-hour before the dragon was due to be there, just to get herself settled. The horse was a beautiful chestnut brown, the carriage it was pulling equally dainty and pristine. The man driving shot her a pitying glance before spurring the creature onward without looking back. Rose tried to distract herself by looking out the window, watching the villages pass by and the landscape slowly turn to nothing more than trees. The carriage gave a sudden lurch to the left, ducking off the main road entirely, rocking side-to-side as it carried her farther and farther away from all she knew. Closer and closer to where she could very well spend the rest of her natural life. Her mother had been rescued after two months! Two bloody months alone in a tower with a ferocious beast! What if nobody came to save her at all? What if she was left to rot? What if the dragon decided it needed a snack? The last thought sent a shiver down her spine, as dragons had been known to revolt before... What if it killed her? A whinny from the horse brought her back to the present, along with a sharp cry of:

"We're here!" Rose craned her neck to try and get a glimpse of her new home, but due to the angle of the carriage, all she could see was the surrounding forest. She swung the door open, her foot sinking ankle-deep into the Earth. She pulled it out with a squelch and walked to the front of the carriage, trying to stay positive. The sight that met her eyes looked like it had sprung from the pages of a picture book, right down to the cone-shaped top and gray brick exterior. There didn't seem to be a door, which she pointed out to the carriage driver. "Well, I do suppose that would be a problem..." He mused, his eyes thoughtful. He brushed his short brown hair back slightly as he looked up. "You could climb..." Rose cocked her head.

"What's your name?" Her sudden question caught him off-guard, but he answered with a grin.

"Adam." She returned the smile.

"Well Adam, I did sneak out often enough. I know how to climb a wall." She asked him to stick around to make sure she made it up, an offer that he gladly accepted. She rubbed her hands together, looking up the side of the tower, contemplating the best way to get into the arched window. She finally hauled herself onto a loose stone, slowly working her way up the wall, her frilly dress proving to be an irritation. She had told her mother that she didn't need it, but it was the same dress that she had worn in the tower when her father came. She supposed it was fitting in a way. She finally managed to get her arm over the windowsill, using it as leverage to get the rest of her body through. She gave Adam a friendly wave and watched him turn and leave, the carriage swallowed up by the trees. She then returned her attention to the room she was in, noting at once just how... Cozy it was. The room was relatively large, with a comfortable looking bed set up in the corner. She already knew all the charms that were in place in the room, to keep her occupied and alive while she waited. She sauntered into the kitchen area, swinging open the cupboard with a flourish. Sure enough, it was stocked with all of her favourites. She shut it again, pacing over to the bookshelf to see what it contained. A well-worn leatherbound book was the only title it contained, and she found herself leafing through the pages. She immediately recognized it as one of the few she had at home, and smiled as she read through it. She held it to her chest and flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. She noticed intricate stars painted above her, like they were really there. She sat up and felt the individual brush-strokes. There was one thing she had yet to check out, namely the wardrobe across from the pantry. Rose popped open the door and was greeted with a bundle of paint supplies, a canvas, a sketchpad, and an outfit that included pants, much to her amusement. She turned on a heel. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad... Her mood was shattered when she tripped on a loose stone, giving a yelp as gravity flung her to the floor. She slowly rose to her feet, groaning slightly as she got her bearings. Her heart froze in her chest when she looked out the window and she struggled to form words. A huge brown eye was staring back at her, scales outlining the edge of it. It blinked slowly before pulling away, revealing the rest of the creature. Its head was huge, and Rose was quick to see just how sharp its teeth were. It opened its mouth and Rose closed her eyes, hoping it would kill her quickly. Its voice was a low hum as it spoke, much to her surprise.

"Sorry, I just wanted to see if you were alright... Which you are so I guess I didn't really need to frighten you but it just sort of happened..." Rose stifled a gasp, but managed to hold her ground. Its ears were rather big and horselike, and it had a furred mane running down the length of its back, sticking up between the ears in a messy tuft. The underbelly of the beast was white, and blue stripes decorated its neck. It seemed to notice that she was giving it a once-over and sighed, its ears drooping. "I can just... Go back down if you'd li-" Rose shook her head, not wanting to be alone.

"No, you can stay I just didn't expect you to talk... Or really care... At all..." Its eyes lit up, its ears shooting back upright.

"Thanks! And here I was thinking that I'd be bored..."

"Me too, to be honest, I just want to get out of here." The dragon hesitated before answering.

"Yeah, but for you to have a happy ending, I have to be slain." It quickly changed the topic after that, but it got Rose thinking. It really was unfair... "I don't think we've formally met. I'm The Doctor." It stuck a paw through the window, resting it on the windowsill. Rose gulped when she saw the razor-sharp talons, but smiled bravely.

"Rose, Rose Tyler." He nodded, baring his teeth in what Rose decided was a smile.

"Pleasure to meet you Rose!" Conversation was pretty much unavoidable after that, and she was pleasantly surprised by just how... Human he acted. She found herself laughing at many of his jokes and stories, and he was never unkind while addressing her. She had expected him to be nothing short of ferocious, a terrifying beast, and she was chatting with him! The day came and went, and she soon found herself struggling to stay awake. The Doctor cocked his head. "Tired?" She nodded sleepily.

"Very." He curled around the base of the tower with the parting words of:

"See you tomorrow." She watched him rest his head in his paws and heard his breathing resonate around the tower. His tail twitched slightly, the furry tuft at the end whipping through the air as he tried to get some sleep. She crawled under the blankets and closed her eyes, letting sleep pull her under. She awoke in a bit of a daze, and for a moment, she forgot where she was. She groggily sat up, squinting at the light filtering through the window. The events of last night surfaced in her memory and she quickly changed into the outfit in the wardrobe. Her mother never would have approved, she could practically hear her saying how it was too boyish. Satisfied, she stuck her head out of the window, surveying the landscape. It really was beautiful, rolling hills and a multicoloured sunrise, huge trees surrounding her small clearing. But that wasn't what she was looking for. Her eyes slowly drifted downward until she could see The Doctor, curled around the base of the tower and snoring slightly. She fixed herself some breakfast, and was pleased to discover that the cabinet had changed to suit her needs. She decided on pancakes, pulling out a hot plate stacked full of them. Her mother had told her of all the enchantments in place to keep her occupied. The book that was whatever you wanted, the cupboard that always had food, and the wardrobe that contained whatever you needed. She hadn't thought that the spells would be that effective, but the pancakes were delicious. She pulled the sketchpad out from the wardrobe and began to write her first letter.

 _To Donna, Amy, Clara, and Martha._

 _The tower, surprisingly, isn't as bad as I thought it would be. The enchantments all seem to be working fine and the dragon is rather nice. I know, I know, it's weird to be friends with the dragon._

She hesitated before continuing.

 _Is is weird? I don't know exactly... Anyway, the dragon has introduced himself as 'The Doctor', if you could do some research regarding him, that would be great! He seems nice, and I don't think he will do me harm, but it pays to be prepared. The room is cozy, big bed, nice mural on the ceiling, brilliant view from the window... I could really get used to this actually! Miss you lots, here's hoping my prince will come!_

 ** _-Rose_**

She neatly folded the paper, tucking it into her pocket for now. She stood up and gave a stretch, discarding the plate in the cabinet for now. She turned to face the window and was greeted with the same brown eye that had startled her yesterday.

"You're up early!" He mumbled, giving a slight yawn as he did so, a few wayward sparks jumping from his mouth. She shrugged.

"Is it really all that early?" They began talking again, covering everything from books to her life back home.

"Do you have any friends back home?" He asked. Rose smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I used to sneak out and see them every night. I think my mother caught on actually, though she didn't speak up. There's Amy, Scottish, redhead, rather strong personality. Donna's a redhead too, and she always has something to say. Clara and Martha are both incredibly smart, Clara wants to be a schoolteacher."

"An excellent choice." Rose was suddenly flooded with a wave of homesickness.

"I miss them..." She whispered. The Doctor shot her a sympathetic look.

"Oh cheer up, you may be seeing them sooner than you think!" Rose shook her head.

"Yeah, but then you'll be dead..." The Doctor sighed.

"I suppose that's true. Don't worry yourself about it, I accepted that a while ago." He suddenly was struck with a thought, and brought his head closer to the window, his nose practically touching the cobble. "Do you trust me Rose?" She was confused by his question, unsure as to where exactly he was going.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Good. That's good." She could feel his hot breath and she couldn't help but be a little afraid. "What if you could give them a visit?" She furrowed her brow, thinking it over carefully.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if I were to say... Give you a ride, would you decline?"

"Are you offering?" His head bobbed up and down.

"We'd be fast, nobody would notice that you were gone..."

"A-Alright." The Doctor drew away from the tower.

"It's settled then." The rest of the day was spent concocting a plan to get away. Rose told him of their meeting spot, just a little away from the castle wall, out of sight of all the guards. The group of friends always met there at nightfall, and The Doctor could easily blend in with the surroundings due to his brown scales. She knew for a fact that they would meet without her, she had asked them to write the letters for her together, so they all got a say. Nightfall couldn't come quickly enough. The Doctor held his paw out to her. "We should probably do a test flight..." Rose felt her insides turn to water at the sight of the huge claws.

"Okay, just be gentle..." She slowly extended her leg and stepped into the palm of his hand, scenarios involving how he was going to eat her whirring through her head. He delicately moved her close to his face, and she found herself using his snout for support. His scales resonated with a warmth akin to a fire, and she realized his eyes were fixated on her, not leaving her for a second.

"How are we going to do this?" He wondered aloud, his gaze not drifting. "Back maybe? Or head?"

"Good thing we're doing a test-flight then." Rose mumbled, deciding on the latter option. "Could you lower your head?" He obeyed without hesitation. Rose tentatively stepped from his paw onto his nose, using his mess of fur to steady herself. She finally made it to the top of his head, sitting quite comfortably between his ears.

"You alright?" He asked gently.

"Yeah, this should work." She watched his huge wings unfurl from his back, also striped with the same light blue as his neck. His ear swiveled slightly, now facing more in her direction.

"Ready?" Rose hesitated. Was she really doing this? Running away with the dragon? Was that even allowed? She pushed those thoughts away, now was not the time for second-guessing herself. She had decided.

"Yeah." His wings snapped to attention and he forced them downward, the wind he was creating causing autumn leaves to swirl at his feet. He stood on his hind legs and leapt into the sky, wingbeats echoing in the air. Rose gripped tightly at his mane, terrified that she would fall. He seemed to pick up on her fear, gliding like an oversize kite, skimming the clouds with a talon.

"Everything okay?" The wind whistled in her ears, and she was surprised that she could still hear him.

"I think so..." She shouted over the noise. He started to descend in lazy circles back toward the tower, making sure to land softly as not to jostle his companion. He lowered his head to the ground and she slid off, landing gracefully on the marshy ground.

"Think we can do that later tonight?" He asked. Rose tried not to focus on his teeth. This was the closest he had ever been to her.

"Definitely." The Doctor arched his neck in the direction of the tower, looking between it and his princess. Rose noticed this with a smile. "I don't think I have to go back in just yet..." He tucked his claws under his body, wrapping his tail around himself.

"That's true." She sat beside him, leaning into his side for heat. He brought his head close to her, flames building in the back of his throat. He exhaled deeply, breathing a stream of fire and setting a patch of grass alight. Seemingly satisfied, he shuffled his wings a little before beginning another conversation. He seemed to have seen everything under the sun, and his endless stories of adventure were much more interesting than the book on her bed. The fire was nice and warm and Rose knew he didn't do it for himself. All of the stories and her mother had said never to trust a dragon... But he didn't seem like the beast she had imagined...


	2. Comrades and Challengers

**I'm back with chapter two of 'In the Tower', and I just wanted to say thanks for the positive comments in the review section! Updates won't normally be this fast, but I've been having a lot of fun with this. I also wanted to make a quick announcement regarding the next chapter. I'm going on vacation for about a week and I'm not sure if I'll have time to work on this while visiting. I will try, but I can't make any promises. Suggestions, feedback, and comments are always appreciated and read through. That's pretty much it from me, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

They talked late into the evening, the night sky above them speckled with stars. Rose gave him a gentle nudge, his story of how he had been captured by some society called 'Torchwood' grinding to a halt. He suddenly seemed to notice how the sky had become dark, the stars reflecting in his huge eyes. "Time to go?" Rose nodded.

"Yeah, but you have to finish your story when we get back!" He grinned.

"You've got yourself a deal!" He offered her his clawed hand, spreading it wide. She stepped into the center of it, nearly falling over when he moved. He lifted her to his face, and even though she trusted him, she couldn't help but think how easy it would be for him to eat her. One gulp and she would be gone... Don't think like that! She scolded herself. He seemed to catch on to her fear, humming softly and moving slowly. It resonated from his chest, filling her ears with the sound, causing her to stop concentrating on what could go wrong. She scaled his snout and gripped his mane tightly, sliding forward slightly when he stood up. "You're going to have to give directions, I tend to stay away from the castle."

"Alright." With that, they were off. She huddled close to him, the cold biting into her arms and uncovered skin. The Doctor's breath fogged up the air around them, and she found herself staring at the stars, so close she could touch them. The night was clear, giving her a beautiful view of the swirling starscape. He gave his wings another flap, sending them soaring through the air. She looked behind them to see that he was using his tail as a rudder, tilting his wings from side-to-side as he kept them moving smoothly. Rose could hardly see the ground from her current position, which was going to be a problem. "Can we get any lower?"

"Yeah, hold on!" The Doctor dipped into a steep dive, pulling up just above the treeline. Rose could clearly see the light of the castle in the distance and couldn't help but feel a pang of homesickness at seeing it. "How much farther?"

"Land here, we can walk the rest of the way." The Doctor nodded his agreement, Rose nearly toppling from his head at his sudden movement. "Sorry..." He mumbled. "I'm just going to land now..." He angled his wings to act like a parachute, slowing them down immensely. His hind legs touched the ground and he landed on all fours with an audible thump, lowering his nose to the ground. Rose led the way through the trees, The Doctor weaving between them and keeping low.

"Will they be alright with me? Not sure if they'd be scared..."

"I hadn't really thought of that..." In fact, now that she was on the topic, she hadn't thought out ANY of the decisions she'd made since meeting The Doctor. It was her first bloody day! What the hell was she thinking!? You can't regret it now. The Doctor had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the walk. He finally spoke, but his words were oddly spaced out.

"Do you think... Do you think this is alright? I mean, nobody else has ever done what we're doing right now, which is exciting and all but... There's probably a reason for that, don't you think?" She frowned.

"All the dragons in storybooks are ferocious, but you're not. Maybe I'm the only one insane enough to go with you!" He chuckled slightly.

"Thank heavens for that!" They continued traversing through the woods, colorful leaves serving as their cover. Rose motioned for him to stop.

"I should go and tell them beforehand, just let them know that you came..." The Doctor nodded and sat, curling his tail around his legs, reminding her of the stray cat that resided in the kitchen.

"Just call and I'll hear you." She wrapped her arms around his neck, catching him by surprise. He took a deep breath, tensing up, unsure of what to do. He slowly wrapped his clawed fingers around her back, pulling her a little closer to him.

"Thank you." She whispered. His scales flushed with heat.

"It was the least I could do." She broke away and gave him a friendly wave, promising not to be long before heading off into the trees. She recognized the path almost immediately and smiled when she heard familiar voices coming from up ahead. She closed the distance between them at a sprint, waving her arms to get their attention. Sure enough, her four friends were gathered around a piece of paper, Clara handling the pencil. She could hear them whispering in the dark.

"Who has the lamp?" Hissed Clara. "I can't see anything!" Donna spoke next.

"I dunno, Rose always brought it..."

"Well, that's just great." A heavily accented voice piped up. "Of course we forgot it." Rose heard Martha give a tired sigh and decided it was high time for an entrance.

"Guess who!" They all looked up at the same time, their eyes wide. Amy was the first to break off from the group, flying toward Rose at a breakneck speed. She threw her arms wide, the two friends embracing. "Miss me?" Amy nodded.

"Damn right I did." Donna and Martha were quick to give her a hug, Clara being the last as she had made sure to neatly fold the letter. Rose hardly had time to catch her breath before her ears were flooded with questions.

"How'd you get away?"

"Is the dragon gone?"

"Were you rescued?"

"What's it like?" She held up a hand to quiet them and sat, the rest of them joining the circle.

"To answer the first question, I had some help from a friend. As for the second two, both no, still waiting for rescue." Martha frowned.

"How come you're here if nobody saved you then?" Rose bit her lip.

"You remember how I said I had a friend?" Donna nodded.

"He helped you escape?"

"Yeah, but you have to understand that the dragon isn't dead, so I can't stay long." Clara seemed skeptical.

"But... Why didn't the dragon stop you? Isn't that its job?" Rose sighed, she'd have to tell them.

"My friend isn't exactly... Human..." Amy laughed nervously.

"What else could he be?" Rose closed her eyes.

"His name is The Doctor and he's proven to be a good friend. All I ask is that you give him a chance." Martha's brow furrowed.

"Why wouldn't we? He's a friend to you and a friend to us." There were murmurs of agreement, which Rose decided were good enough.

"Alright then Doctor, you can come out now." All was silent for a moment, the group of friends straining their ears until suddenly... His eyes appeared in the trees, just for a second before disappearing out of view. Amy grabbed Rose's arm, asking in a strangled whisper.

"What the hell was that?" Clara stiffened, gripping Rose's other arm.

"Rose, nobody dealt with the dragon..." Her tone indicated her worry, and Clara didn't scare easily.

"I know. Doctor, would you just come out already? You're scaring them." The bushes gave a snap and The Doctor stepped into the clearing, his head low.

"Rose, we have to get out of here." This time it was Martha who spoke, her eyes darting around, looking for somewhere to hide. The Doctor took a step closer and the four of them gasped. Rose tried to step toward him but Amy and Clara held her back. She pulled herself out of their grasp and stepped toward her friend, unafraid. She was less than a foot away from his huge snout, her friends clustered behind her, unmoving as they stared at the beast in the trees.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet The Doctor." He pressed closer to her, his snout nearly touching the ground.

"Hello." He was speaking much quieter than usual, but Rose was grateful for that, not wanting him to scare them any more than he already had.

"Y-You can talk?" He nodded slowly, lying down and crossing his front paws. He sighed and wrapped his tail around his body, causing all but Rose to flinch away. He was quick to catch on to their fear and looked to Rose for help. She turned to address her friends, each of them in a completely different state of mind. Amy was brandishing a small knife, looking ready to fight and scarier than the beast she was facing. Martha, on the other hand, looked ready to bolt, her gaze trained on the path. Donna and Clara were both somewhere in the middle, their eyes not leaving The Doctor for a second.

"I promise, he won't hurt you." Rose insisted.

"How can you promise that?" Clara kept her eyes on him, as if daring him to do so much as take a breath. "How can you make promises on behalf of The Doctor!?" The clearing fell silent, Rose took a deep breath.

"Because I trust him." The Doctor brought his head close to Clara. She was too scared to move, her body shaking.

"I promise to protect the lot of you, believe me, I've seen enough bloodshed. I don't need to cause any." Clara took a couple of shaky breaths, nearly hyperventilating. He withdrew his neck, putting his head between his paws and breathing out a puff of smoke. Clara collapsed into Martha's waiting arms, still shaking even though there was no danger. Rose motioned for Amy to put the knife away, the redhead grudgingly obliged, tucking it back into her boot. Rose sat against The Doctor's side, leaning into his warmth. Amy slowly followed suit, painfully aware of just how easy it would be for him to snap and kill her. The Doctor didn't move, though Rose could feel him tense up a little. Donna sat next to Amy, looking up at The Doctor and smiling shakily when they made eye-contact. The Doctor put his head close to Rose, opening his mouth slightly, flames licking from his jaws. Everyone drew back, watching as he set a patch of grass alight with a simple breath. Martha and Clara were the last to join the circle, the warmth of the fire and the light it provided proving to outweigh their fear. Rose started to recount her tale, starting from when she had left them. The Doctor jumped in for certain bits, his skill for storytelling evident. Rose smiled when she noticed everyone starting to relax around him, treating him like he was equal. The Doctor suddenly stopped short, his head shooting bolt upright, startling everyone. His eyes shot to Rose, his voice urgent. "We have to go, now!" Rose stood, brushing herself off.

"What's wrong?"

"Horses, and lots of them." Horses meant guardsmen, they did have to leave. Donna and Amy stood, along with The Doctor. Martha looked concerned.

"Will you come back?" Rose smiled, pulling her friends in for a hug.

"Just try to keep me away." She slipped the letter into Clara's hand when The Doctor wasn't looking before retreating to The Dragon's side. He was swishing his tail impatiently, hopping from foot to foot as he waited. He lifted her in his paws, letting her wave goodbye before they took to the skies, his wings lifting them as they hurtled through the air. He kept a firm grip on her, but not to the point where she was short of breath, just so he wouldn't drop her. She felt oddly safe in his talons, even though she was hundreds of feet above the Earth in the clutches of a dragon. They were moving much faster than before and Rose hardly had time to blink before they had arrived. He helped her in through the window, giving her a lopsided grin as she stepped off his palm and into her bedroom. She leaned back out of the window and gave him a kiss on the snout. "Thanks for EVERYTHING." She whispered. One of his ears flopped sideways.

"You deserve it, nobody should be lonely." Rose smiled.

"Goodnight." He dipped his head slightly, his grin unfaltering.

"G'night." He had just wrapped himself around the base of the tower and shut his eyes when he heard it again, faint at first, but steadily growing louder. He groaned and forced his eyes back open, the clatter of hooves on the path interrupting his peaceful slumber. Sure enough, a knight came into the clearing, spear in hand. The Doctor arched his neck, the midnight challenger faltering when he rose to his full height. His voice was a little shaky, The Doctor unable to see much of him due to his helmet.

"I-I ask that you release the Princess!" The Doctor cocked his head before deciding to play the ferocious beast card. The only problem with that brilliant plan being that he was tired.

"Who's asking?" He growled, putting his head uncomfortably close to the knight. The horse took that opportunity to buck its rider and dash headlong into the brush, sending the man sprawling. The Doctor couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for him, making a mental note not to scare him too badly. The knight picked himself up, keeping the spear trained on The Doctor, even though they both knew it wouldn't be able to do much damage. He lifted his helm to reveal a frightened face.

"M-Mickey. Mickey Smith." The Doctor snarled, causing Mickey's knees to wobble, nearly giving out on him.

"Well then Ricky! Are you here to challenge me?" Mickey mumbled something under his breath with a nod, and although The Doctor knew exactly what he had said, he decided to have a little fun. "What was that?" He growled.

"I said my name's MICKEY. Not Ricky." The Doctor stretched out his wings, a silver outline fringing them from the moonlight.

"Either way, you're still a meal." He had no intention of eating the man, though, in truth, he was famished. He let saliva drip from his jaws, running his tongue over his teeth, hoping it looked intimidating. This method seemed to be working, Mickey's spear shaking profusely. He swallowed hard before speaking again.

"I will rescue her from you, regardless if we both die in the process." The Doctor nodded his approval.

"You have impressed me with your bravery, so I'm going to give you the first blow." He flipped onto his back with a crash that shook the ground, exposing his pale underbelly. He was taking a gamble, but the spear did seem to be harmless. Mickey stepped back, clearly thinking it over. The Doctor decided to give him a few ideas as to where to aim the spear. He tapped his chest with a talon. "You could try here, that's right above one of my hearts." He moved it to the left a little. "Or the other one. Or you could stick it through my skull. The choice is yours." Mickey frowned and took a step back.

"What's the catch?" The Doctor bared his teeth.

"I get to deal the second. C'mon then!" Mickey stepped forward, lifting the spear high above his head before plunging it downward, the dull end harmlessly deflecting off The Doctor's hide. A sudden noise from the window caused The Doctor to look up. Rose was watching intently from the window, and she looked like she was genuinely scared of him. He shot her a playful wink, making sure she knew that no, he hadn't let his hunger control him. Mickey seemed to notice his gaze had changed, following his line of vision until he made eye contact with Rose, who waved shyly.

"I-I came to rescue you!" He shouted. The Doctor heard Rose stifle a laugh and fought to keep his tone serious.

"You don't say." She remarked, clearly still tired. He seemed surprised at her lack of interest, clearly thinking that she would care a little more. The Doctor snarled, letting flames trickle from between his teeth.

"Are you forgetting our agreement?!" He roared, launching himself at the man, effortlessly pinning him beneath one of his claws. He could feel him shaking and increased the pressure, feeling his armor starting to snap as he curled his fingers in. He made sure not to harm Mickey, though he did need to scare him to some degree. He pressed his head incredibly close to him, letting flames curl around his snout. "I'm going to give you two options, and I HOPE that you pick the right one." Mickey was starting to resemble a fish, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled to form words. "There's option one, which means I get to make a snack out of you." Mickey's eyes bugged out of his head and he shook his head profusely. "Option two, however, is I let you go on ONE condition." Mickey took a shaky breath.

"Name it."

"Let them know that SHE IS DEFENDED." He made sure to open his mouth wider than normal as he spoke, smoke spiraling from between his jaws. With that, he let Mickey go, watching him stumble out of the brush, making a break for the safety of the path. Once The Doctor was sure he had gone, he turned back to Rose.

"That was brilliant!" He smiled, grateful that she wasn't frightened.

"That should keep anyone who wouldn't do anything other than annoy us away."

"Be nice, Mickey was a friend of mine back in the day. Didn't think he'd be willing to face a dragon for me though, with a blunt spear to boot!" The Doctor chuckled.

"Was I really that ferocious?" Rose grinned.

"You bet you were."

* * *

Mickey staggered into the bar, slumping into a stool with a thud. Rory was at his side in an instant, and although he was firing off questions, Mickey couldn't find the words to answer them. Rory tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jolt back into reality.

"You alright?" Mickey shook his head.

"You were right." He choked out, still in shock from what he had endured. Rory furrowed his brow.

"What do you mean?" Rory ordered a round and Mickey took a sip of ale before continuing.

"The dragon... The one you told me I shouldn't fight, that would kill me..." Ale splashed over the rim of the cup, his hand shaking. Rory's eyes grew wide with the realization.

"You-You fought the dragon? Rose's dragon?!" Mickey nodded taking another swig.

"Wanted to do something worthwhile with my life, make my Nan proud." Rory shook his head, unable to believe that Mickey would do something so completely and utterly stupid!

"What the hell were you thinking?! And how did you escape?"

"It let me go with a warning." Images of its huge jaws and teeth flashed through his mind, and he found himself unable to stop shaking, even though the danger was gone.

"Why didn't it just kill you on the spot?" Rory looked concerned, but also a little bit intrigued.

"It gave me an offer, which I stupidly accepted. Said I could deal the first blow if it dealt the second." Rory suddenly noticed the deep scratches in his friend's armor with a shudder. They sat in silence for a moment, watching everyone else in the bar go about their business. It was a quiet night, a few late stragglers and storytellers swirling around the two knights. The room was dimly lit with a few candles, flickering and dancing, reminding Mickey of the flames that had leapt from the jaws of the beast. "It also gave me a warning, that was the condition it let me go on. I had to tell anyone who may consider fighting it..."

"What would that be?" Mickey looked Rory dead in the eyes, and Rory was quick to notice that this was the most serious Mickey had ever been.

"It said that she is defended."


	3. Rainy Day

**Sorry for the long gap between uploads, but I'm back! I'm going to keep this brief, but I just wanted to say thanks for all the follows! You guys are what I write for! Anyway, feel free to leave ideas, suggestions, and characters you would like to see incorporated in the reviews, as I am really enjoying this AU so far! See you in the next chapter!**

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Rose groaned and rolled out of bed, hitting the stone floor with a dull thud. A faint light filtered through the window, casting an eerie shadow on her surroundings. She paced to the window, noting at once the storm clouds blocking out the sun. Great. It looked like it was going to pour, the clouds ready to burst at any minute. She tried to pinpoint her friend but noticed with concern that he was nowhere to be found. That's odd... Her gaze drifted to the book propped open on her bedside table and she smiled when she read what was in the pages. It seemed that The Doctor had left her a message.

 **Gone out for a hunting trip, should be back soon. If anyone comes by, tell them I'm burning a village and if they follow me, they can catch me at it. Or make up something equally ridiculous, up to you!**

 **-You know who this is**

She gently closed it, sitting back on the bed, contemplating what to do. She finally cracked the book back open, deciding to do some research, just to satisfy her curiosity. "Show me information on the dragon treaty." The Doctor's message faded away to reveal a long paragraph, detailing the agreement between the dragons and the rulers. She skimmed the writing and managed to figure out a few key things.

 **"The princess is forbidden to leave until the dragon is defeated."**

 **"Knights and potential rescuers need to be dealt with by the beast."**

 **"The beast is not to speak to the imprisoned."**

Already, three key rules had been broken, and she smiled to herself as she thought it over. It did seem insane to be speaking to a dragon, and even more so to consider it a friend! She continued reading.

 **"The victor has the right to marry the damsel he has rescued."** She cringed at the thought of marrying someone who had killed one of her friends, but continued reading.

 **"If the dragon is caught off-duty on anything other than a hunting trip, anyone who reports it will be given a handsome reward."** Rose frowned. Nobody other than her friends had seen the pair of them, but they hadn't been watching for anyone...

 **"The beast, in question, will be executed, a new one to take its place."** She shuddered at the thought of an execution, wondering how exactly they thought that he'd go along with all of this willingly. The book highlighted a section for her.

 **"If it tries to flee, it will be hunted throughout the lands and declared a menace."**

The Doctor was tough as well as smart, but Rose didn't think he'd be able to fend off entire kingdoms forever. Could he? Although he was chatty, he hadn't said much about himself. She ran her fingers along the pages. One look wouldn't hurt... She brought the book close to her face and whispered: "Show me information on a dragon known as 'The Doctor'." The book went blank for a minute before showing a neat list of facts, one page long exactly. Rose slowly read the words on the paper, unsure what to expect.

The Doctor is a powerful beast who shows up in times of hardship and troubles. Death follows him around like a shadow, horrible events happening around him as he remains untouched. He is referred to as 'The Oncoming Storm' due to his huge wings being able to block out the sun. If you ever find yourself in his company, it's too late for you. No matter how far you go, nothing will be the same because he was there. He isn't sighted often during times of peace and he will always be the bringer of hardships.

"What'cha reading?" She dropped the book in surprise, but smiled when she saw the familiar eye of her friend in the window.

"Lots of words, pretty boring if you ask me. I got your message, and by the way, there are now four knights hunting down the vicious beast terrorizing the land." The Doctor chuckled, his teeth bared in the friendly way she had grown accustomed to. "Run into anyone?" He shook his head.

"Nope, kept above the clouds for the most part." He was silent for a moment before he spoke, his voice a quiet rumble. "You're going to have to pick someone to kill me eventually." She was quiet with her response.

"I can't do that." He looked sympathetic.

"You're going to have to unless we find a loophole. But I want you to think about it, alright?" She nodded mutely. He sighed, a tongue of flame escaping his jaws. Rose snapped her fingers.

"You can't die!" The Doctor seemed amused by her comment and decided to humor her.

"And why would that be?" She grinned.

"Because I royally forbid it!" He staggered back in mock shock, causing Rose to giggle. He pulled up close to the window.

"Could the princess speak the truth?" He gasped in his best royal-squire-voice. "Could the foul beast truly survive the ordeal?" She leaned out and tapped him on the snout.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He was about to think up a witty reply when thunder boomed, causing both of them to look up as the rain became even heavier. The Doctor groaned, lifting his wings to try and keep the rain off himself without much success. Rose giggled quietly, the rain made him look like a wet dog, his mane plastered to his back. He shook his head, causing water droplets to splatter everywhere. Rose let out a yelp as she was doused with the water. In that moment, she decided that she didn't care what the information on him or the dragon treaty said. He was her friend, however scaly he may be. And in that moment, he was a complete git. He grinned when he saw her trying to wring out her hair, a puddle growing at her feet as she squeezed at her locks. She glared at him when she saw his expression.

"I'm going to get you back for this." He couldn't suppress a sarcastic remark at that.

"Yeah, I bet you will. Here." She was suddenly doused with warmth, drying her out in less than a second. She looked up to see his jaws close with a snap. He drew back, seemingly satisfied with what he had done.

"Thanks." He grinned again.

"No problem." Thunder crackled to punctuate his sentence, the rain coming down harder than before. He growled in frustration, causing Rose to hold back another series of giggles. He noticed her trying to conceal her smile and pouted, lowering his ears and shooting her his best puppy dog eyes. She smiled and moved closer to the window.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" He scratched his head with a claw.

"Well, the weather is going to be a bit of a problem." He still had his wings flared open, trying to keep the water not only off him, but away from Rose's window as well.

"I could go outside with you... It's not fair that you have to be wet alone..." He cocked his head, thinking it over before offering her his claw.

"You sure?" She stepped into his palm, but not before grabbing the book from the ground.

"Absolutely." He gently lowered her to the ground where she slid off his claw, a sudden lightning strike causing her to lose her balance and slip. The Doctor caught her as she collapsed against his snout, using his mane for support. He curled up and flared his wing over her, creating a tent to keep them sheltered from the wind. He tucked his head under his wing as well and Rose perched on his paw, looking him in the eye with a slight smile.

"Thanks. I was getting cold."

"Do you get cold?" She asked, genuinely curious. He had always seemed rather warm to her, but for him, it could be freezing.

"Welllll, not exactly." He confessed. "Cold doesn't really affect us dragons much, like looking at the color blue for you. It looks cold, but it isn't." She frowned, a little confused.

"So you weren't cold then."

"I wasn't cold, but I felt cold." She decided not to press him on it, his confusing explanation making his head spin. He took the hint and changed the topic. "So, what's the plan for today?" She cracked open the book.

"Well, I brought this." She shot him a tongue-between-teeth grin before adding."You clearly know how to use it. I was thinking we could look for a loophole." His ears perked up, a curious look dominating his reptilian features.

"Rose, I've looked. It won't do any harm to double-check, but I didn't see anything." She brought up the dragon treaty and the two of them began to pour over it, discussing certain points with eachother as the storm raged around them. "Blimey, we haven't really been following this, have we?"

"That's an understatement." He grinned.

"Quite right too." A word suddenly grabbed her attention.

"Hey, hold on a minute." His ears perked up and he pressed closer, his eyes scanning the pages.

"What?" She tapped at the book, her finger hitting one word: **Defeated.**

"Nowhere here does it ACTUALLY say that you can't survive the whole ordeal, look, same goes for the knights!" The Doctor peered closely at the pages. Rose was right! **Dealt with by the beast.** He knew that dealt with was another way of saying killed, but nowhere did it ACTUALLY state HOW he was supposed to deal with them. A lopsided grin crept onto his face.

"Rose Tyler, you are a GENIUS!" Rose beamed, closing the book with a snap.

"You know it!" Thunder boomed overhead, but the two of them were too busy chatting to even notice it. Because now they had something they didn't have before. Now, they had hope. The Doctor's head suddenly shot upright, his ears twitching like they would fly off at any moment. Rose frowned and stood. "What's wrong?" A low growl escaped from his throat.

"Someone's coming. Not a warrior though."

"How can you tell?" The Doctor thought for a moment.

"No armor clinking." He then turned to face the human at his feet, deciding that she probably shouldn't be found with him... "You should probably go back up, you shouldn't get in trouble because of me." She nodded and he gently lifted her up into her window, making sure that she was secured before lowering his claw.

"Call me if you need me."

"For what?" That seemed to stump her for a moment, but she was quick to bounce back.

"I've got an enchanted cabinet that gives me what I need. Therefore, if you need anything, I can probably get it." She shot him a tongue-between-teeth grin and disappeared into the tower before he could work up a reply. He shook his head, deciding that he would try his best to abide by her rule of him not dying, however hard that may be. He ALSO promised himself that he wouldn't kill anyone who came to the tower. It really wasn't fair. He, for one, had a long list of natural defenses and he was willing to bet that he was smarter than any of the humans who would challenge him. The fact that one was coming in this sort of weather more than proved his point. He listened as the clattering of hooves came closer and closer to the clearing until they suddenly stopped. He tilted his head to try and figure out what had caused this when he suddenly realized. They were tethering the horse! He had to admit, that was probably a good idea if they ever wanted to see their animal again.

The soft tread of boots in the mud was muffled by the rain, and The Doctor found himself having to strain his ears in order to hear how close the human was to him. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long. The man strode into the clearing with an air of confidence that made The Doctor dislike him right off the bat.

"I don't wish to challenge you dragon, I only ask that you let me deliver my letter for Rose." The Doctor weighed his options carefully. It could be a trap... But where was his weapon? He was snapped back into reality by Rose calling down to the man.

"Hi Adam! Long time no see!" The human, no, Adam shot her a grin and gave a quick bow.

"Pleasure to see you again Princess!" Rose smiled back.

"The pleasure is all mine!" The Doctor watched their interaction with interest. They seemed to know eachother to some degree. Adam eyed him warily, as if he would lunge out and kill the man in a snap. The Doctor also noticed that Adam seemed to be giving him a once over and shuffled his wings, not liking the gleam in his eye.

"Anyway, I need to give her this letter." He explained, stepping forward. The Doctor brought his head close to the ground. Adam faltered, his mouth moving but no sound coming out. The Doctor slowly extended a claw causing Rose to jump in and explain.

"Give it to him, he'll give it to me." Adam nodded mutely, shakily handing the dragon Rose's letter. All The Doctor could see was the outside, which read: **BAD WOLF SOCIETY.** He passed it up to Rose, making sure to keep it dry. She took it from him and placed it on her bedside table, leaning back out of the window. "Thanks Adam!" Adam smiled again, and although his hair was soaked from the rain and the day was dark, he seemed to glow. He bowed again and left. The Doctor didn't speak until he heard hooves clattering away from them, deciding to play it safe. He didn't really feel like being hunted down at the moment and Adam seemed to be the abide-by-the-rules type.

"What's the Bad Wolf society?" He asked, puzzled by the name.

"You met them the other night, we invented the name to sound official. Just so nobody would question their letter." The Doctor smiled. Leave it to them to think up a creative solution.

"What's it say?" Rose tore the envelope and gave it a quick read through.

"Well, they aren't meeting tonight." Thunder crackled again. "Go figure." She mumbled dryly. She suddenly seemed a little worried.

"You alright?" She shook her head.

"Rory had the bright idea of trying to challenge you, said he's coming around tomorrow..." The Doctor sighed.

"In that case, we should think up a challenge. Something tells me you want him to survive, is that right?" Rose nodded.

"He's got a thing for Amy, it's really cute. Amy denies everything though..." The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Humans..." Rose raised an eyebrow at his remark, but decided to pretend she hadn't heard him.

"What kind of challenge were you thinking of?"

* * *

Adam spurred his horse through the underbrush, noting with disgust just how muddy it had been. The dragon was formidable, to say the least, but it seemed to see right through him. He was certain that it could tell he wasn't JUST there to deliver a letter, which wasn't exactly true. He was originally just going to deliver the letter and be done with it, but then he was struck with a thought. Nowhere in the rules did it say that it had to be a prince that rescued her, and Mickey's tall tale of the dragon was interesting. He had gladly taken the job of delivering a letter to Rose, mainly because he wanted to see the beast Mickey had spoken of. The knight hadn't been exaggerating when he spoke of its size and fangs, it was a monstrosity for sure. It seemed to have some sort of loyalty to Rose, which was odd for a creature like it. He pushed the thoughts of the beast aside, deciding to stop into a roadside tavern before hitting the road again. He found an empty stool at the bar and sat, unable to change his thought pattern.

"What'll it be pal?" Adam looked up, unsure if the voice was talking to him. A man with bright blue eyes and dark hair was looking at him curiously, a pair of suspenders decorating his frame. "Harkness, Captian Jack Harkness." Adam decided to ignore the introduction.

"Just a cup of water if you will." The bartender seemed surprised, but didn't press any questions about his drink choice.

"Where you from?"

"Just got back from the tower, delivering a letter." Jack frowned thoughtfully.

"Dragon tower, right?" Adam nodded.

"That'd be the one." Jack placed the glass of water in front of him, polishing a glass in his other hand thoughtfully.

"Big brown dragon, right?" Adam narrowed his eyes.

"What's it to you?" Jack chuckled.

"Heard Mickey's story. Wanted to fact check. His heart's in the right place but he tends to stretch the truth paper-thin." Adam scowled.

"Story's true, huge creature." He figured that if he gave short one-word answers, Jack would leave him alone. Jack, however, didn't get the hint.

"Did it speak to you?"

"No." Jack's attention was suddenly grabbed by a small group entering the bar, just long enough for Adam to slip away. When Jack got back to the counter, he was quick to notice that the young man was gone. He sighed and rinsed the glass, the lack of a coin making him shake his head in disapproval. The information he had provided did seem to be useful, though he hadn't mentioned the name of the dragon. It wasn't like it could be The Doctor, could it? Jack couldn't recall if his friend had gotten into the habit of kidnapping Princesses, but he supposed it could be possible. The Doctor Jack had known was always a little skittish, unable to pick something to do, bit of a traveler really.. The memory made him smile. He poured a few cups of ale for the travelers and retreated behind the counter, deciding that maybe he should pay them a visit...


	4. Riddles and Reunions

**Me: Hey, maybe I should work on that fanfiction!**

 **Also me: *Scrolls through Pintrest for hours on end***

 **Guess who's back! I'm SO SORRY for abandoning this story! I promise that it will get finished, I just have to ACTUALLY write it out. Don't worry though, I have the plot figured out! To make up for my absence, I present to you, the longest chapter yet! The rest of the story should be out soon-ish, but it's turning into something bigger than I had originally intended, which is both awesome and scary at the same time! I'm going to shut up before I add another thousand words, so enjoy the latest chapter!**

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Jack spurred his horse onwards, the feeling of wind rushing through his hair compensating immensely for the dreary weather. He had to see, he had to check if it was him. If it was him, he was going to get a piece of his mind! If it wasn't, well, he was going to have to think fast. He could get out of pretty much any tough situation with his words, but a dragon would be something new. The rain had petered off, leaving the road a muddy mess, loose cobbles making his horse stumble. Alonso had been more than happy to take his position at the bar and was making pleasant conversation with the group of travelers when Jack left. Finding a horse hadn't been hard. He had just borrowed a calm looking dappled gray from one of the tethers. He would return it, of course, if the dragon didn't eat it... Jack sighed, clutching the amulet under his loose shirt as the horse trotted along through the muck. It wouldn't be the worst way he had died, but it could take a while which would be rather unpleasant. That being said, it could just incinerate him. Quick and painless he supposed, unlike being left on a mountain to rot... He shuddered at the memory. All the more reason to yell at The Doctor, if, of course, it really was him.

Steeling his resolve, he continued to ride into the unknown, his mind made. He could see the washed out tracks that Adam had left and idly wondered who the borrowed horse belonged to. A part of him hoped it belonged to the man who hadn't paid. Dismounting and tethering the animal to a tree, he prepared to go the rest of the journey on foot. Luckily for Jack, it wasn't too long of a trek through the trees and he could soon see the shadow of a tower. Cautious, he edged toward the treeline, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention. He delicately took a step forward, his eyes scanning the clearing, looking for the huge beast many travelers had told stories of. Mickey's was the only one he believed, and that was only because of how well he knew the man. He nearly missed the creature at first, shrouded by the darkness of autumn, but there was no mistaking the furred ruff. _That scaly bastard._

The scaly bastard, in question, was looking in his direction, though he hadn't noticed the rather angry man as of yet. Time to start the fire. Jack swaggered into the clearing, watching The Doctor's snarl turn into a rather shocked expression. "Hello again." He growled through grit teeth, closing the distance between himself and the dragon. The Doctor examined him closely, his mouth moving, but no sound coming out. "Miss me?"

"Jack?" Jack wanted to punch his scaly snout in, but settled for clenching his fists and setting his jaw.

"Of course it's me, you idiot! I've been trying to track you down for ages!" The Doctor seemed confused by the revelation.

"But, you died!" Jack rolled his eyes.

"If I had a penny for every time I heard that... OF COURSE I'M NOT DEAD! YOU LEFT ME ON A MOUNTAIN!" The Doctor winced at the sudden change of tone.

"I thought you were dead..." Jack glared at him but didn't say another word, instead, he chose to pull the amulet out from under his shirt.

"No. I'm not dead. I'm not dead because of this STUPID thing!" The Doctor brought his head closer and sniffed at the object, gently tapping at it with a claw.

"What is it?" Jack scowled.

"Nicked it from a treasury back when I was a con-man. Now, it's stuck 'round my neck." The Doctor seemed intrigued, but that wasn't why Jack had come to pay him a visit. "HEY! That's not why I came!" The Doctor's huge eyes looked a little guilty, but Jack wasn't going to pay him any mind.

"Why did you come then?"

"BECAUSE YOU LEFT ME ON A MOUNTAIN! God, you're thick." The Doctor had one of his ears flopped in a way that Jack knew meant he was thinking about something. Jack had to take a few deep breaths to refrain from becoming one of the dragonslayers of old."Really?!THIS confuses you?! You couldn't be bothered to check if I was alive, could you? You were SO BUSY with your new hobby of kidnapping Princesses that you left without so much as a goodbye!" The Doctor groaned, much to the irritation of the human.

"Look, I didn't kidnap her, alright? They needed a dragon to guard her and I happened to be the closest." Jack was about to try and shoot down the claim when a voice from above stopped him.

"It's true." It sounded faintly melodic and his head shot upwards, searching for the source of the noise. A young woman was peeking out from the tower window, her blonde hair hanging down in sleepy spirals. Jack shot her a heart-melting grin, which she slyly returned. "Who're you?" Jack bowed low, deciding that this must be the Rose he had heard so much about at the bar.

"Harkness, Captian Jack Harkness, and you must be Rose..." He was interrupted from saying a cheesy pickup line by a low growl.

"Stop it." Jack shot the dragon a slightly amused look.

"I was just saying hello, since when did you care so much about a human?" The Doctor refrained from speaking, causing Jack to chuckle. He was getting attached to the girl, which wasn't a good thing. He would have to leave her in the end and Jack knew it was hard for him to leave anyone. He brushed those thoughts away, there was a beautiful maiden for him to speak with! Quick as a squirrel scaling a tree, he scurried up the bricks and into the window. The Doctor huffed but didn't interfere, much to his relief. Rose giggled and re-introduced herself with a huge smile.

"Did you come here to flirt, or to yell at me?" The dragon growled. Jack grinned.

"Well, I came to yell at you. I stayed because of the pretty girl." The Doctor rolled his eyes. Rose eyed his amulet with interest, provoking another amused smile.

"Is it enchanted?" Jack nodded.

"It was meant to be a gift, but I pocketed it. Didn't put it on until the day I leapt on his back." He jerked a thumb out the window. "Figured it would be lucky, which it is in a way." He toyed with it, rubbing his thumb over the golden surface. "It's stuck around my neck, not coming off anytime soon." Rose furrowed her brow.

"Really?" Jack gestured to the necklace.

"Try and take it off." Rose gently grabbed it at first, trying to tug it over his head. It came to about his nose before it suddenly jerked back down, positioning itself around his neck. Rose let out a strangled gasp and Jack let out a forced laugh. "It does that." Rose collected herself a bit.

"So he would never die, and nobody could steal it..."

"Yep." Jack confirmed. "Heals my injuries, forcibly crams life back into my corpse... In short, it sucks." Rose frowned.

"Really?" Jack nodded.

"Rose, he left me on a mountain a hundred years ago." Rose's jaw dropped.

"By the time I got back you were gone!" The Doctor protested. Jack snorted.

"Oh please, I was dead for two minutes. You had AMPLE time to dive and catch me!"

"You fell off him?" The Doctor and Jack suddenly both got very quiet, like talking about it was forbidden.

"Well, yeah." Jack shifted uncomfortably. "We used to be friends."

"We still kind of are." The Doctor added, causing Jack to roll his eyes.

"Sure big guy."

"I'm really sorry, I couldn't go back. Not after..." Jack nodded with a sigh.

"That's alright. We all have our moments." And for the first time in a hundred years, his anger toward the scaled beast faded. All that pent up rage had burnt itself out, and it had taken far too long in his opinion.

"No kidding." He half-nodded at The Doctor to confirm his statement, a huge grin plastered on his face. "We're good then?"

"We're good." The dragon smiled hugely, his ears back in the regular perky state Jack had come to expect from him.

"So, where've you been for the past hundred years?" Jack shrugged.

"Wandered, became a bartender..." He then began sharing stories of adventure and other mishaps that had stemmed from the bar, The Doctor chiming in with commentary for most of them. "What've you been up to?" He asked, trying not to seem interested.

"Well, we were trying to come up with a decent challenge, but we're coming up empty." Rose nodded her agreement.

"Yeah, we've been listing things off for about an hour." Jack closed his eyes and flopped across Rose's bed.

"Shoot." Rose couldn't help but smile when The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Well, he was thinking about chess." Jack groaned.

"He's rubbish at chess." The Doctor looked offended for a moment before seeming to consider the statement.

"Well, can Rory play chess?" Rose nodded.

"Yup." The Doctor sighed in an irritated fashion.

"Alright, what about riddles?" Jack snorted, but didn't say a word."What?" Jack sat up, fiddling with a suspender strap with one hand.

"Well, isn't that just a tiny bit cliche?" Rose hid a smile.

"He does have a point."

"Tried and true!" Insisted The Doctor, the pitch of his voice nearing a whine as he tried to convince him that his idea was the best one.

"Do you know any riddles?" Rose questioned. He opened his mouth to fire back a clever retort, but he suddenly realized, that he didn't have one. Rose pounced on his sudden silence. "Really? A man back from the dead and this is what shocks you?" Jack bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing, though it was proving to be difficult not to as The Doctor dug his own grave.

"Well, not any GOOD ones so-to-speak..." Rose giggled and Jack couldn't hold in his chuckles any longer.

"But you're a DRAGON!" He wheezed. "Isn't that in the contract or something like that?" The Doctor lowered his ears.

"Well do YOU know any riddles then? Hmm?" He challenged, bringing his face back up to the window, a smug look plastered on his face. Jack frowned for a moment before clearing his throat.

"If I have it, I don't share it. If I share it, I don't have it. What am I?" The Doctor cocked his head and Rose furrowed her brow in confusion.

"A thought?" He tried. Jack shook his head, a grin spreading on his face.

"Give up?" The Doctor shook his head, and was about to try again when Rose chanced a guess.

"Is it a secret?"

"We have a winner!" The Doctor tried not to seem put out by her besting him, though truthfully, that was what he was going to guess next. **_(Liar.)_**

"You've made your point..." He grumbled. "Riddles are a good idea, but I don't know any." Rose suddenly stood.

"What if you didn't have to know?" Jack sat up, propping his head on his chin.

"How so my lady?"

"Well, Doctor, you have really good hearing, right?" The Doctor bobbed his head to affirm her statement.

"Right."

"So," She continued. "theoretically, we could sit up here and feed you riddles, yeah?" He nodded once again.

"That could work..." Jack grinned.

"Well then we should probably start thinking!" No sooner than when he had spoken, The Doctor's ears bolted upright, swiveling madly, trying to pinpoint a sound he was hearing.

"Horse." He mumbled, giving his wings a slight stretch as he did so. Jack could tell he was trying not to seem worried, though the slow thrashing of his tail said otherwise. He knew the dragon well, and his was one of his tells. Jack couldn't suppress a small smirk when one ear dipped to one side. _Confused..._

"Relax big guy, we've got your back." Rose flashed him a thumbs-up before he ducked down to the base of the tower. Together, the pair of them crouched under the window, waiting for the sound of voices to be heard from beneath them.

"How many do you know?" She whispered. Jack's eyes shifted so he wasn't looking directly at her. His voice was barely audible when he confessed, probably so that the dragon couldn't hear him.

"About four..." Rose took a deep breath. Keeping The Doctor alive was going to be difficult.

The Doctor faced the path with a fearsome snarl, his head low to the ground as he waited for the oncoming knight. Clatter. Clomp. Snort. The sound of a horse on the path gre steadily louder, hooves clipping the now swampy ground. Deciding to give him a little bit of time to rethink his decision, he raised his head and let loose an animalistic roar, flaring his wings and pawing at the ground. He heard a dull thud, probably from Rory taking a fall off of his horse. His ears swiveled as he listened to the man calm the animal before tying it to a tree.

 _Already smarter than Mickey..._

The Doctor growled loudly once again, flapping his wings and letting his tail thrash freely behind him. The man stepped into the clearing, the sun making his armor glow in the light. A sword was hanging at his waist and his hand nervously gripped the top of it, ready to pull it out at a moments notice. He, unlike Mickey, wasn't wearing a helmet, which left his mousy brown hair and bluish eyes exposed to the dragon. He wasted no time in stating his intentions, though his voice was rather meek.

"I've come to rescue the Princess." The Doctor's reply sounded more like a snarl, but he could still be understood easily.

"You aren't the first, and something tells me you won't be the last." Rory swallowed hard but didn't reply. "State your name." He growled menacingly.

"Roranticus." The Doctor lowered his head.

"Liar." Rory stiffened and The Doctor couldn't help but scoff internally at the storybooks he had most likely grown up reading. Never tell a dragon your name... Rory finally seemed to cave.

"Rory, Rory Williams." The Doctor lay down with a thud, causing Rory to stumble.

"Well then Rory, I've got a challenge for you. Are you listening?" Rory seemed surprised at this, but nodded anyway, clearly not wanting to jeopardize his good fortune. "I'm going to present you with a few riddles. You, in turn, have to give me one after you solve mine. You following?"

"I guess." The Doctor heard the two humans hidden from view quietly discussing something. Tuning out their conversation, he continued with his explanation.

"If you get three wrong, I make you into a quick snack. Get three right, you've defeated me. Got it?" Rory seemed to be weighing each option he was given carefully, his hand still firmly grasping his sword. The Doctor decided to spell it out for him. "I could've killed you right from the start, but I decided to give you a fighting chance. Take it or leave it." That seemed to make his common sense kick in.

"Deal." The Doctor nodded.

"Alright." He swished his tail, purposely hitting the base of the tower to grab the attention of his friends. Captives. Corrected the voice in his head. They're your captives. Shaking off the voice, he strained his ears to hear Jack's voice above his own thoughts, hastily repeating the words spoken by the immortal.

"We hurt without touching. We poison without killing. We bear the truth and the lies. We are not to be judged by our size." Rory frowned thoughtfully, closing his eyes as he spoke his answer.

"Words." The Doctor nodded his approval.

"Good." Rory cleared his throat.

"Many have heard me, but nobody has seen me, and I will not speak back until spoken to." The Doctor answered without hesitation.

"An echo." Rory seemed taken aback by how fast he had solved the little puzzle, as did his friends behind him.

"Congrats big guy..." Jack whispered, Rose's muffled giggling in the background distracting him for a moment. Luckily, Rose seemed to notice that his silence was going to be a bit of a problem. He perked up his ears as she whispered the next riddle.

"I'm at the beginning of the end and the start of eternity, at the end of time and space, in the middle of yesterday but nowhere in tomorrow." Rory opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to work out an answer, The Doctor practically able to hear the wheels in his head turning. He shakily delivered his reply.

"Nothing?" The Doctor growled, making sure to reveal every one of his pointed teeth.

"Nope." Rory took a deep breath, knees knocking together in fear. The Doctor recalled Rose's words and decided to sum up some kindness from his hearts. "Two more tries."

"Alright." Rory stared him dead in the eyes, speaking slowly. "What's easy to get into, but hard to get out of?" This time, it was The Doctor's turn to be confused. He probably would've guessed it wrong it Jack hadn't blurted out the answer.

"Trouble."

"Yeah." Rory suddenly drew his sword in one fluid motion, steadying his hand and pointing it at the beast on the other end. Without missing a beat, he started to charge, summoning what little bravery he had and launching himself at The Doctor. The Doctor, safe to say, wasn't impressed. Faster than the man could react, he slammed his paw down on him, pushing him into the mud. He fought not to react when the weapon sank between his scales, instead, choosing to react in anger.

"You seem to be forgetting my little bargain!" He could feel flames building and had to make a conscious effort to stop them from scorching the poor man. Rory whimpered but didn't respond properly. "I'm willing to give you another chance, but so help me, one more toe out of line and I won't hesitate." He applied a little more pressure to help get his point across, letting his claws sink into the earth around him. Finally, he withdrew, but not before tucking the sword behind him so it wouldn't cause him any more harm. He then waited for his challenger to rise from the ground, mud clinging to his armor like fur to a shedding animal. The Doctor sat on his haunches as if he hadn't just traumatized Rory and huffed out a bit of smoke. "Now, I believe it was my turn."

"I-It was." The reply was nearly inaudible, but not quiet enough to escape the dragon's keen ears.

"Good." He could practically feel the gaze of the humans trained on his back after his display of anger, and he couldn't really blame them. He tapped at the bricks once more with his hind foot which seemed to snap them back to reality. He relayed the riddle upon hearing it, withholding the answer as usual. "You will always find me in the past. I can be created in the present, But the future can never change me. What am I?" Rory answered quickly on that one, much to his surprise.

"History." The Doctor cursed Jack inwardly, deciding to ask him about where exactly he had acquired the riddles.

"Right."

"What belongs to you, but is used more than you by others?" The Doctor closed his eyes, one ear flopping to the side as he tried to figure it out before Jack and Rose. Several answers ran through his head, but none of them seemed... Right. Rose and Jack stayed silent, neither of them answering. The Doctor answered slowly.

"Love." Rory seemed intrigued by his answer, but shook his head.

"No..." The Doctor sighed, perking up his ears when Rose spoke.

"It lies behind rocks and rills, and under mountains and hills. It cannot be seen or felt, nor even heard or smelt."

"Light?"

"Incorrect." The Doctor took a step forwards, catching the knight off guard as he stumbled back.

"I still have one try!" He squeaked, his eyes darting around to look at anything but The Doctor's jaws.

"Indeed." Rory steadied himself on a tree before continuing with their game.

"This allows people to see through walls, with no means of magic or sorcerer's calls." This one The Doctor knew, as well as the humans.

"A window." He heard them whisper it along with him and felt his hearts warm up at the thought of them caring, especially at the thought of Jack caring. That, of course, is when everything started to go downhill.

"My turn." He growled softly, waiting for the riddle from the window. He swished his tail, painfully aware of each passing second that was being wasted. Meanwhile, Jack and Rose struggled to think up a half-decent question.

"Rory did his research..." Mumbled Rose, racking her brain, trying desperately to think of something.

"You don't say." Jack remarked. Rose finally raised her voice a little, relaying another question.

"What's gray and bad for your teeth?" Jack bit his lip and Rose collapsed to the floor in a laughing fit, unable to make noise as her body shook. She heard the dragon below cautiously repeat her question, making her laugh harder. Peeking out of the window, she could see his frame quivering slightly due to withheld laughter. She chanced a look at Jack who was now on the floor with her in hysterics.

"A rock?" That sent them over the edge, their chests heaving as The Doctor was forced to accept his answer.

"That was the dumbest thing I've ever witnessed!" Jack gasped out between breaths. "Good job though!" Rose couldn't respond, she was laughing too hard. They strained their ears to hear the question.

"The more you take, the more you leave behind."

"Footprints." Whispered Jack, his answer echoing around them in a much deeper voice as the dragon repeated it.

"You're good at this." Jack shrugged.

"As a bartender, you hear a lot." The tower shook again, causing the two of them to share a panicked glance.

"Have you got anything?" Jack shook his head.

"That's all I know!" The dragon outside tapped frantically with his tail, trying to get them to give him something to work with. The only problem was that they were out of questions.

"Doctor, we're out." The Doctor suddenly spoke, catching them off guard.

"A double-edged sword, destroyer, and creator. Brings worlds together or tears them apart." Jack and Rose frowned, trying to work out the answer to his riddle. Rory seemed stumped too, though his answer wasn't too bad.

"War?"

"Wrong." Rose risked a glance outside, watching her friends unfold his wings and stand. Rory scrambled backward, trying desperately to get out of reach of the beast as it advanced.

"Can I at least have the answer?!" He squeaked, his voice shaking almost as much as his knees. The Doctor nodded, his next word quiet, drawn out like it was a fragile thing.

"Love."

"What would you know of love?" He asked, not accusingly, genuine curiosity edging his voice. "Why would you care for an emotion like that?" His voice cracked on the next sentence. "If you have any love in either of your hearts, kill me quickly. I can't return like this."

"Why?"

"Because. Then I'm back to second-best." The Doctor drew close to him and from her position in the window, she could see the warmth in his eyes.

"Rory, listen to me." Rory had closed his eyes in fear, but reluctantly opened them just a crack. "I can see what you are, and what you can become. I know your love doesn't lie in my protection, but rather in a strong-willed scot." Rory's jaw gaped open, but he didn't interrupt. "I know that you've never told her why, or even told her at all that you care. So I'm letting you do that. I'm letting you go." Rory visibly relaxed, though his voice was still shaky.

"Y-You want me to go back?" The Doctor nodded.

"This, however, is not a kindness I will repeat. You have a future, but if you come back here with the same intentions, I will not show mercy. Got that?"

"Y-Yes." He was nodding with his whole body, slowly creeping backward to the safety the trees provided. "Thank you."

"You earned it through your bravery Rory Williams." With that, he sat back up, letting Rory scamper off into the forest.

"Nice save." Called Jack. The Doctor ruffled his wings, turning to them with slightly sorrowful eyes.

"Ah, like you said, on the contract." He then began to address Rose, unable to keep a sarcastic undertone out of his words. "Gray and bad for your teeth? Really? Why didn't you just use the book?!" Jack and Rose looked at the heap of pages sitting between them, and promptly burst into laughter.

* * *

The rest of the day passed quickly, Jack and The Doctor's banter serving as a great source of entertainment for Rose, who sat listening. Jack suddenly looked out of the window, a look of disappointment on his face.

"I should be getting back..." A multicolored sunset illuminated the treeline, stars beginning to show on the horizon.

"Yeah, right right..." The Doctor offered his claw. "Want a hand?" Jack nimbly leapt into the offered paw, waving them one last goodbye before heading out in the same direction as Rory. "He'll be back." Remarked The Doctor, a slight smile on his features. Rose tried to agree, but found herself yawning. "You should get some rest."

"I guess..." She mumbled, not wanting to nod off just yet. He blinked once before flapping his wings and adjusting his tail.

"Quick hunting trip, didn't get much yesterday. I'll be back soon." With that, he was off in a whoosh of wind. Rose waited until he was gone before she gently retrieved a piece of paper from under her bed, still in the envelope it had come in. Carefully, she broke the seal and started to read the information inside. It looked like Martha and Clara had shared the piece of paper, alternating between paragraphs with a charcoal pencil.

 **If you're reading this, that means that you are alone.**

 **There wasn't much information regarding The Doctor, other than that he's bad news. You have to be careful. As for information on dragons, however, there is an abundance. For starters, they are carnivores by nature. I know that he hasn't eaten you yet (I hope), but it is something he is more inclined to do. Another fact is how their stare can be hypnotic to some extent. It varies between creatures, but all can exhibit it to some degree. I'm not saying that he's been using it, but I want you to consider the possibility.**

 **Back toward just The Doctor, he is a rather large dragon as far as they go. You've probably started to figure out his basic body language, which is good, but don't let it fool you into a false sense of security. Moving back into dragon territory, they have been known to fake certain tells and use them to make you trust them more. This last fact is probably the worst, but I need to know that you understand what he's capable of. He can force a mental bond on you, meaning that he can see inside your head and he can see into yours. I'm not sure how this differs between dragons, as there aren't many survivors, but I can tell you this.**

 **It gives him insight and control over you like you wouldn't believe. It merges you as one, no secrets. He can see the entirety of your head, and you can't stop him. Okay, so we were about to mail this when we suddenly found another fact. Remember how we said that was the last fact? And the worst one? We were wrong. We didn't want to write this down Rose, we really didn't, but he was involved in the Tyler raid. We don't know how involved he was, or if he's changed since then, but he was there. Be careful Rose, we need you to be.**

 **-Sorrowfully, The Bad Wolf Society.**

Rose took a few shaky breaths, trying not to panic. Her head spun, her knees giving out from beneath her. Not him... There had to be a mistake. The words stared back at her, taunting her to no end. Her heart pounded in her ears as she tried without success to fight back the memories. The dragon fire and feral roars, the crumbling of her world, the last words of her Father... No. He had to have changed since then, surely. He couldn't be one of the beasts from her nightmares. He was what had made those stupid dreams leave her alone for the first time in her life, and she wasn't going to let that comfort slip away. He had had plenty of opportunities to kill her in the past, and he hadn't harmed her in any way.

He was a friend in her mind, but she couldn't help but think it wasn't her who had thought that. She refolded it and pushed it under the wardrobe, not wanting to believe what was inscribed. But... He had flown her to meet with her friends. He had shown mercy on both of his challengers and possibly helped Rory out. He had even been polite-ish to Adam when he delivered the facts. She felt the unease she was feeling slowly start to cease. He blushed when she hugged him. Jack called him a friend after yelling at him. Rose smiled at the thought. He had to have changed. That was years ago. The voice in the back of her mind telling her that she was wrong to trust him finally silenced itself.

When The Doctor got back, she was sound asleep in her bed, breaths even and quiet. The Doctor smiled and yawned hugely, deciding that he may as well get some sleep, even if he didn't really need it. Curling into his usual protective position, he started to snore lightly, but not before mumbling a quick goodnight to his Princess. He heard a slight shuffling and cursed himself for waking her up, but it stopped as soon as it began, the voice from above the last thing he heard before sleep claimed him.

"Goodnight Doctor."


	5. Visions of Fire

**This chapter was supposed to have been out sooner, but I'm not going to lie. I struggled with this one. So, five-ish rewrites later, here it is! Sorry for the delay, I got dragged off to Alberta for a funeral. The plot's moving along nicely and I'm excited to bring this to you! Happy reading!**

Rose stared at the ceiling in silence, debating whether or not she should roll out of bed. If she did, she would have to face The Doctor and all the uncertainties he brought. If she didn't, however, she would be doomed to be bored for the duration of the day, and she would miss the Bad Wolf Society. She continued staring down the bricks above her. Sliding one foot off the bed, she made her decision. She padded across the cold floor to the window to take a peek outside, still able to hear the dragon breathing. What she saw surprised her, to say the least.

Adam was crouched outside, just skirting the trees, broadsword in hand. She watched him closely, trying not to be seen. She silently willed The Doctor to wake up as Adam crept closer. He was about three yards away from his snout when The Doctor's ear twitched. Adam froze mid-step, his expression of determination melting away, revealing a frightened face. The fear left him quickly, however, when The Doctor turned his head to face the stone tower. Taking his chance, Adam began walking around the sleeping dragon, inspecting every terrifying feature that made up her friend.

The Doctor's tail suddenly lashed out, nearly hitting Adam as he frantically scrambled away, tripping over his own feet and falling backward into the soft ground. The Doctor remained motionless, though Rose could hear his breathing becoming just a little less even. Adam stayed where he was, clearly thinking that if he so much as moved his arm, The Doctor would devour him. She watched him stand on shaky limbs, continuing to walk until she could no longer see him in the window. Thinking fast, she crept to the cabinet and whispered her request.

"Give me something to wake him up." Gently, she opened the door. Inside lay a small white stone that fit easily into the palm of her hand. Puzzled, she tossed it into the air, catching it in her other hand. That's when it hit her. Peering back out of the window, she took aim, holding the stone high above her head and hoping that he wouldn't do anything stupid. She took one more deep breath before letting it fly. It seemed to fall for a small eternity, shining slightly in the sunlight as it tumbled toward the mass of scales below.

The effect was immediate.

The Doctor jolted upright, shaking the stone next to him in his haste to be on his feet. Rose heard Adam let out a sharp gasp as The Doctor turned to face him with hackles raised, pawing at the ground in a somewhat irritated fashion, tail thrashing behind him. He pulled back his upper lip in a fearsome snarl.

"Hello again." He growled. Rose raced to the window.

Adam was sprawled in the dirt once more, The Doctor's paw rendering him immobile, sword lying just out of reach. He fought hard, causing The Doctor to press harder. That made him stop trying. Rose decided that it was high time she made an appearance.

"Adam?" Both of their heads spun around. The Doctor gestured toward the man with a claw and tilted his head. What should I do with him? Adam nodded meekly.

"Hi." Rose looked at him closely, noticing at once the letter in his shaky hand.

"Letter for me? Or are you challenging him?" The Doctor snorted a cloud of smoke at the cowering man, as if daring him to confirm her statement.

"L-L-Letter!" He stammered, waving the piece of parchment slightly.

"Give it to him." The Doctor grudgingly lifted his claws, snatching the letter the second it was offered to him. Adam ducked to avoid being impaled by the sharp claws. Rose took it from his talons, pocketing it for the time being. The Doctor continued staring at Adam, unblinking. Adam nervously rose to his feet.

"I think you should leave." Snarled the dragon. Adam needed no further encouragement. In a flurry of motion, he booked it back to the safety the trees provided, not looking back. The sound of hooves on the path signaled that it was safe for them to talk, The Doctor leaning close to the window, a distasteful look on his face. "Can I eat him?" Rose grinned, but shook her head.

"Not exactly a great idea." The Doctor sighed dramatically.

"I suppose..." His gaze drifted back to the trees. "What was he doing here anyway?" Rose bit her lip.

"He looked like he was scoping out weak spots." The Doctor's brow creased.

"Weak spots in what?"

"You. Your scales I mean." The Doctor's ears flicked back.

"Did he have his weapon on him?" Rose nodded.

"He probably would've used it if I hadn't woken you." The Doctor suddenly seemed interested.

"What did you do?" Rose shrugged.

"Asked the wardrobe, it gave me a rock, I threw it at you." He grinned.

"Nice thinking." His eyes continued darting around, one ear slowly flopping back into a nervous position.

"What's wrong?" His ears remained focused on the forest, but he met eyes with her.

"I'm not quite sure." He admitted, turning back to guard duty.

"How can you not be sure?" His ears twitched violently, scanning the woods for an unseen threat in the trees.

"Well, he left." His head suddenly whipped around. Lowering it and spreading his wings, he prepared to face whatever was lurking in the bushes. "But there's something out there." He pawed the ground.

"Don't go out there." The Doctor flapped his wings agitatedly.

"I'll be fine, back in a flash!" He shot her one more lopsided grin before soaring off into the darkness of the trees. All was quiet, the silence engulfing her deafening as she strained her ears to hear his wingbeats. A roar suddenly blew through the trees, though it seemed to be one of surprise rather than anger. Rose tried desperately to see him but found her eyes to be completely useless. Her heart sank as his snarls rang through the clearing. Hands shaking, she stumbled to the wardrobe.

"Give me something to help him!" Slamming the door and wrenching it back open, all she found was a bedsheet. Pulling it out with her, she flew back to the window. The Doctor tore back toward the clearing on all fours, head low, flames flying from his mouth. Something clung to his tail, something... Shiny. Rose couldn't make out what it was, the blur of motion that was her friend's tail tossing it back and forth. Gathering the bedsheet in her arms, she let it fly, hoping against all hopes that it would do something.

The Doctor, had picked that exact moment to try and knock the thing off his tail by hitting it on the tower, throwing Rose off-balance as she swung the sheet. It came down on the silver blur as it flew, effectively trapping it as it scrambled to get free. The Doctor pinned it down, flames bursting from his jaws as it struggled under his paw. What looked to be armor-clad arms emerged from underneath the flowered pattern. The Doctor slowly eased off his pressure, leaning close to the struggling mass of fabric.

Rose realized that she had made a mistake once it finally managed to get out from the sheet. Adam's hair stuck in all directions, sweat dripping from his brow, brown eyes ablaze with fury. His glare landed on Rose, face red with rage.

"What the hell?!" He spluttered, tossing the sheet to the ground and rising, ignoring the scaled beast that was ready to burn him to a crisp at her command. He pointed an accusing finger in her direction. "You helped him!" The Doctor snarled ferociously.

"She's the only thing keeping you alive right now."

"So what if I have been helping him?" She challenged. Adam pulled his sword free from his belt.

"That, Miss Tyler," He spat. "Goes against the treaty!"

"Do you really think I care?" She shot back, causing The Doctor's ears to stick up in alarm.

"Rose..." His voice took on a nervous tone.

"And you!" He hissed, now turning on the dragon. "You've been speaking to her!" The Doctor narrowed his eyes.

"Remember who can eat you in a single bite." He snapped, making sure to let his mouth open uncomfortably wide with every word. Adam backed away, common sense finally kicking in along with the natural instinct to avoid being eaten. He batted his eyes at Rose. "Can I eat him now?" Adam paled.

"Not yet."

"Yet?!" He squeaked. Rose glared at him when he tried to make eye contact. She jutted out her chin at the waiting dragon.

"Pin him." Adam didn't have time to react before the sharp-clawed paw collided with his chest, knocking the wind from his lungs. The Doctor, however, failed to notice the rather sharp sword in the man's shaky hands. Adam saw the opportunity, and took it. With a feral war-cry, he sliced open the back of his paw with the sharp tool. The Doctor yelped in surprise, pulling his paw away, allowing Adam to dash out of the clearing and out of sight. "Are you alright?" The Doctor examined his claws closely.

"I'll live." He finally stated.

"Let me take a look?" He reared up on his hind legs, pulling the wounded appendage close to his chest.

"Adam's a bastard." He stated flatly, completely ignoring her question. She sighed.

"I know, but will you let me see?" He shook his head.

"It's not that bad."

"How come you're standing on two legs instead of four?" He cautiously lowered his paws.

"I'm fine!" He winced when it hit the ground, solidifying Rose's claim.

"C'mon, just for a second!" He knew in his hearts she wouldn't drop it. Slowly, he raised his paw and let it rest on the windowsill. Rose fought back a gasp when she saw the gash. "Let me get some bandages..." She mumbled, fumbling to open the wardrobe in her haste to help him.

"Rose, really, it's alright." He shifted his paw a little, blood running down the cobbles. "Just a scratch."

"Scratches aren't three feet wide!" She insisted. "Lift your claws." With a rumbling groan, he obliged. She began pressing the bandage on the 'scratch', trying to avoid looking at it for too long as his blood seeped through the cloth. "Tell me if it hurts, okay?" The Doctor closed his eyes, whispering through grit teeth.

"Fine." She looked at him for a second before making a snap decision.

"Can I ask you a question?" He opened one eye a crack, seeming amused by her request.

"You've never asked before." She busied herself with his bandage.

"It's a bit of a personal question." She admitted.

"Ah." She began to tie the strip of cloth as she spoke.

"I want you to answer me honestly, alright?" He nodded slowly.

"Wouldn't dream of doing otherwise." Rose took a deep breath.

"Were you involved in the Tyler raid?" His friendly eyes suddenly looked darker, claws tensing under her bandages. He broke eye contact, staring at something behind her.

"I didn't want to be."

"So yes?" She felt like someone had punched her in the gut when he nodded, ears drooping.

"Rose?" She pulled the bandage tight around the wound, fighting back the sting of tears that were threatening to roll down her cheeks. She wasn't going to cry over this again.

Not again.

"That should be good, try to keep it on." She murmured half-heartedly.

"Look at me." She raised her head weakly, feeling like the room around her was spinning at a million miles-per-hour with her spiraling out of control. His brown eyes were filled with unspoken regret and sadness, and she found herself tearing her eyes away. Hypnotic stare…

"Why?" She all but whimpered.

"I had no choice." His voice was gentle.

"You just had to tear my world apart." She tried to keep the emotions she was feeling out of her voice without success, developing a hitch halfway through the word tear.

"It's not like that." He insisted. Her gaze shot back to his, uncontained rage visible in her glare.

"What is it like then, Doctor?!" She snapped. He hesitated, pulling his claw away and inspecting the handiwork before speaking.

"I could…"

"You could what?" She stared into his eyes, trying to make sense of all the emotions contained within them.

"Show you…" He finished. She eyed him closely.

"What do you mean?" He lowered his head closer to the window.

"Temporary telepathic link." He explained. Rose felt her blood turn to ice. He noticed her change in expression. "I'm sorry." Rose laughed hollowly.

"Do you expect me to trust you?" She spat. "For all I know, you could be manipulating me right now!" He looked a little ashamed of himself, causing her to become even more suspicious. "Oh my God.."

"Rose, I promise I haven't…" His voice trailed off. "I…" Rose didn't say anything. She didn't need to. "You were just so scared."

"So you hypnotized me?" She snarled. He winced at her harsh tone.

"I wouldn't call it hypnosis..." He mumbled. He could tell she wanted a better answer. "Just during our first flight, I promise, only then." She wanted to believe him. She wanted so badly to believe him. But how did she know it was her who wanted that? "Please believe me." He whispered.

"I can't!" It came out a lot more angrily than she intended, but she wanted to prove her point.

"I wasn't hypnotizing you." He sounded like he was trying to stay calm, anger surfacing every now and again, desperate for her to trust once more.

"What were you doing then?" She replied coldly.

"You were scared, so I helped you. It's common practice among dragons, I shared my sense of calm with you." She tried to make sense of what he was saying.

"You were just..."

"Trying to help." He finished softly. Weighing her options, she nodded, fighting back tears.

"Show me." He closed his eyes.

"Tell me when you want me to stop." She closed her eyes. She fought the urge to cry out when she felt his consciousness brush against hers. That's when she could see it. The darkness of her eyelids faded away to reveal… her town. She could feel powerful wings stretching out on either see of her and realized that she was looking through The Doctor's eyes. She could see people below looking up in fearful awe, pointing at him with trembling fingers. That's when she became aware of the other dragons flying alongside him. Scales of all colors shone in the sky. He suddenly flared his wings, pulling away from the village as the other dragons dove. She could feel his anger flare as flames spouted from the other creatures mouths, dousing the humans below in flames. Their screams reached her ears, pain and confusion resonating in her head as The Doctor's thoughts merged with her own.

 _Doctor!_ She resisted the urge to open her eyes at the arrival of the new voice, forcing herself to remember that it had already happened.

 _What?_

 _Horsemen! Take care of them._

The Doctor dove through the flames toward the small party of knights, led by a courageous man that Rose had only seen in a few paintings. The present Doctor seemed to realize this, his thoughts echoing in her head.

 _ **Are you alright?**_

"I'm fine." She whispered hoarsely. Her father faced The Doctor bravely, not shaking as he raised his sword.

"I wish for a peaceful conversation with your leader." The human was fighting hard to keep the quiver out of his voice. Rose could hear all of her Mother's stories of her brave Pete Tyler, how he faced the biggest dragon alone… how he paid the price for his actions. The Doctor landed in front of him, the wind from his wings extinguishing a few fires. Then, he arched his neck and roared, flames spiraling from his jaws. "SHIELDS!" He barked, and not a moment too soon. The Doctor turned his fire on them, the horses braying in terror as they bucked their riders. Pete lowered the shield, the wooden frame smoldering as he faced her friend.

Her brilliant, wonderful, funny friend. Her friend who never said anything unkind, who was always ready to laugh. A tear rolled down her cheek. He had just killed her father.

The dragon lowered his head, flaring his wings as he bared down on the man and his team.

One man ran.

The Doctor's jaws sprang open, catching the man off-guard. Ashes fell in his place. Rose tried not to recoil from his presence. He was a cold-blooded killer. Opening his mouth once more, he made to kill the remaining members of the team, taking his sweet time to make them feel well and truly trapped.

Guilt washed over her like a wave and she realized that it was the present Doctor again, everything he felt being played in her head in a much smaller amount.

Fire flashed before her eyes.

Her father closed his eyes, last words echoing in her head.

"ROSE, RUN!"

Flames engulfed him.

I'm so sorry.

He didn't stop the flashback, and she was about to ask him to when she saw something flash near the demolished houses. The past Doctor seemed to have seen it too, head whipping around to see...

Her.

Six-year-old her as a matter of fact, scurrying through the battlefield, keeping low to the ground as she made a beeline for the forest. The Doctor flung himself toward her, claws extended, going for the kill. She could feel the primal instinct coursing through his veins, salivating madly as he eyed what he assumed was going to be his next meal.

Her younger self suddenly stumbled, rolling onto her back to meet eyes with the beast, nearly on top of her. They locked eyes for a moment. The primal anger faded, replaced with a sudden sense of confusion that was almost overwhelming.

 _Doctor!_ Snapped another dragon, causing him to nearly skewer the poor girl as he jumped.

 _I'm dealing with the_ heir _!_ He shot back. Before her younger self could even try to get away, he made a grab for her. Rose watched as her body went completely slack in his paw, unconscious. She was now seeing everything that she had missed when she blacked out, horrified as he raised her above his mouth.

"That's enough!" She half-whimpered-half-yelled. The vision faded in a snap, leaving her shaking profusely.

He was the monster from her nightmares.

He was the bringer of destruction.

How could she have been so naive?

"Rose?" His voice broke through her thoughts, a worried undertone catching her off guard. She didn't respond, collapsing onto her bed, burying herself beneath the blankets, pillow clutched over her head to try and hide her shaking.

Stupid, STUPID Rose.

"Go away." She sniffed. She heard his claws retract from the window and he could practically feel his sorrowful gaze trained on her. A shadow passed over her window and the tower's base shook as he slumped around it. She rolled over, wanting to call out to him, but at the same time, she didn't want to be the first to apologize. She was torn between being sorry and being even angrier than she had ever been in her life.

He had killed her father.

How could she forgive him for that?

How could she ever trust him again, knowing what he was capable of?

But...

He hadn't killed her then, and something told her that he wouldn't kill her now.

She pulled the pillow off her head and shakily paced to the window. He had his back to her, ears hanging low on his head. She ducked when he lifted his head and turned to her. He took a deep breath, a small amount of sound escaping his jaws before he cut himself off, slouching back to the base. Plucking up some courage, she leaned out the window, a cool breeze causing her hair to fall across her face.

"Why didn't you kill me?" His head shot up, whipping around so she could stare right into his sad eyes.

"What?" She steeled herself in front of the huge jaws.

"You could've eaten me then, but you didn't. Why?"

"I..." He seemed stumped for a moment, tail twitching agitatedly. "It was wrong." He finally settled with.

"You were pretty darn sure of yourself then."

"Someone stopped me." Rose furrowed her brow.

"Who?"

"Jack." That shocked her. "Same one you met." He confirmed. He suddenly broke eye contact. "Do you want to see?" She hesitated.

Did she trust him enough?

One more look at him chased the doubts from her mind. She nodded, closing her eyes and bracing himself. Once more, she felt everything that he was inside her head, the flame-scorched world coming back into view.

"PUT HER DOWN!" Roared a voice. The dragon snarled, pulling the unconscious girl closer to him and out of danger. He let loose a savage growl, opening his mouth. Wide. The bartender came into view atop a brown and white horse, sword pointed at the beast. "Pick on someone your own size!"

The Doctor needed no further encouragement, letting her body fall to the ground in a heap before taking off after Jack, who spurred his horse down the dirt road. The vision disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"That's it." He murmured, opening his eyes to make sure Rose was alright.

"Did you kill him then?" The Doctor laughed.

"Nah, he got away. Nabbed him later when he fell off my back." He stopped, tilting his head to the side, looking almost... Shy. "I've changed since then..."

"I noticed."

"Is it... Alright?" She took him in for a moment. The floppy fringe. The big brown eyes. The nervous ear twitch.

"It's not alright." He looked crestfallen, causing her to quickly continue. "But we can move on. You've done nothing to harm me."

"So... We're friends again?" Rose half-smiled.

"That'd be nice." He nodded vigorously, relieved that she didn't hate him. Rose suddenly disappeared back into her bedroom, pulling out the new letter. "Should probably open this..." The Doctor grinned.

"Might be a good idea..." She broke the seal and skimmed it over.

"Says they wanted to meet tomorrow, that alright with you?" He sighed dramatically.

"Just back to friends and I'm already your horse?"

She gently cuffed him on the snout.

Somehow, he smiled wider than before.

* * *

John Smith didn't want to let the young man in.

He really didn't.

It was something about the way he acted like he owned the place, nor how he expected to be let in under the claim of 'I have news of the dragon'. EVERYONE seemed to have news on the dragon, including himself. But, he had persisted. The next thing he knew, he was leading Mr. Arrogance himself through the stone interior of the castle.

"Remind me, why exactly does what you know change anythin'?" He snorted, causing John to scowl.

"That's for the Queen's ears only." The corridors had never seemed longer to the captain of the royal guard, but the throne room wasn't far. He clenched his fists to keep from strangling the other man. He practically shoved him through the wooden door, suppressing a small smile as he stumbled on his feet. John gave the queen a quick bow before explaining what had happened.

"He said he has news on the dragon." It sounded more like he was announcing the young man's execution, a thick northern accent making him seem even more intimidating, icy blue eyes shooting daggers across the room. Jackie looked at the roughed-up man with interest.

"Let him speak." He bowed low, nose nearly brushing the floor. John contemplated taking a few extra steps across the room and bumping into him, amusing images of him crashing into the cold stone playing in his head.

"My name is Adam Mitchell, and I have reason to believe that Rose is helping the beast." That got John's attention. He bit back a snarky comment, allowing Adam to continue with his story.

"As you know, I have been delivering letters from her friends to the Princess." He seemed to be trying to build suspense by making the story longer. "I was doing so when the creature attacked me, completely unprovoked. Upon explaining my intentions, Rose received her letter and it let me go. I ran into the trees, but my horse had fled when the dragon roared."

"Can you get to the point?" Growled John, crossing his arms.

"I was getting to that." Adam shot back. Clearing his throat, he turned to address the queen. "Terribly sorry your majesty, your servant seems to be stepping out of line."

"He's not my servant," Jackie replied cooly, seemingly irritated by the concept. "He earned his place as the caption of the guard." John couldn't resist shooting Adam a smug smile at that. "That being said..." She turned to John. "Do try not to interrupt." John nodded.

"Yes, your majesty." With a tut of annoyance, Adam returned to his story.

"Left with no mount, I began to walk, intent on leaving them alone when the creature flew after me. Next thing I knew, I was hanging onto its tail for dear life as it shot back toward the tower." Jackie had pursed her lips and was leaning forward in anticipation. Even John was curious, though he tried not to show it. "Suddenly, I was covered by a bedsheet that came from the window. When I managed to get free, I saw at once that your daughter had thrown it on me. She ordered the dragon not to kill me, but rather, pin me down. As she openly flaunted the treaty, the beast addressed her by name, confirming that they have been conversing." John narrowed his eyes.

"It's not like they're stupid creatures, surely it has a right to know her name." Adam scowled at him.

"You were told not to interrupt." He hissed. "And to disprove your point, they were discussing whether or not to keep me alive!" Jackie finally spoke up.

"However improbable your story does seem, we can do a little poking around to try and find out what's going on. John," He stiffened when his name was spoken. "Pull together a team of horsemen to ride out at sunset tomorrow, to see if anything they do violates the conditions stated." Adam seemed shocked.

"But your-" She cut him off.

"I know when someone is lying, and while you don't seem to be, I don't want to waste the time of the guardsmen."

"Fair point your majesty." John moved to open the door, escorting him to the drawbridge. He wasn't expecting any conversation to ensue, so he was surprised when he was pulled aside. He sighed in annoyance.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to take this seriously, the princess could be in danger." John didn't interrupt this time, though he would've liked to, instead deciding to let him finish. "Dragons have been known to hypnotize their victims, and she may be under his influence. You want her to be safe, don't you?" John inwardly cursed how this had suddenly been turned against him.

"Of course."

"Then protect her." With that, Adam stalked away into the darkness now falling over the kingdom.

John secretly hoped he wouldn't make it very far.


	6. Chained Nightmares

**Hello everyone, welcome back! Just to clear up some confusion, John _is_ supposed to be nine, though I didn't really make that all that clear. I also have a question for all you lovely readers. I just figured out that I can set up a poll on my profile, so I'm going to ask you wonderful people a question. What should the daleks be represented by? I've got it all set up, so if you want a say in how the story goes, go ahead and vote! If you have ANOTHER great idea for them, shoot me a PM or review, and I will make sure to read through all the suggestions. Thanks again for sticking with this highly unpredictable story, and however cheesy it may seem to you, it means a lot to me! I won't stall you for any longer, enjoy the story!**

* * *

The tower's base was shaking. Although it was normal to have a building shake when a dragon was coiled around its base, Rose couldn't help but feel that something was off. She was pretty sure she had a decent handle on how her scaly friend slept, and usually, it was just a few tosses and turns in the night. Not this profuse trembling. She had just pressed her toes to the cobble below when snarls and growls erupted around her, startling her. She fell back onto the bed as the animalistic noises became more human.

"Leave... Her..." Slowly, she paced back to the window.

"Doctor?" She inquired. If he had heard her, he didn't show it.

"Don't... DON'T HURT HER! ROSE!" He was shaking profusely, lashing out with every limb as he trembled. "NO!" It wasn't even a conscious decision. She perched herself on the edge of the window before lowering herself down, landing lightly at his feet. His whole frame tensed when she lay a hand on his snout.

"I'm here." His shaking didn't cease in the slightest, a small whimper escaping from his throat. "Are you alright?" She kept her voice gentle. He whined again, the sound increasing in volume before becoming a word. Well, three to be exact.

"Stay with me." He choked. She curled up under his wing, able to hear his hearts practically beating out of his chest. She laid a hand on his side.

"I'm not going anywhere." Growls and rasps escaped him, his tail thrashing, wings shaking like twin leaves.

"Rose..." His body suddenly relaxed as she began trying to soothe him, drawing closer to his side.

"I'm never gonna leave you, you hear me? Never ever." He took a deep breath, filling his lungs to full captivity, tail twitching agitatedly. He slowly let it out in a long shudder, Rose feeling his every muscle twist under her.

"Stay." He rasped. His hearts finally began to slow down to a normal face, breathing somewhat regular. She hoped he wouldn't roll over and crush her in his sleep. Something told her that he wouldn't. His wing fell over her, shielding her from a wind that was setting in, much like a tent. Warmth seeped into her bones, the earth beneath her still warm from when he was atop it. Slowly, but surely, her eyes drifted shut and she fell asleep at his side.

He awoke slowly, blinking slightly in the darkness as his pupils expanded. A sudden movement against his side caused him to freeze in place. Something stirred under his wing, startling him, his neck stretching high in shock. He lifted his wing slowly, glimpsing a flash of pink from beneath it. Leaning his head closer, he was quick to realize that is was none other than Rose curled up beside him.

The nightmares she had saved him from suddenly returned at full force, the sound of her screaming echoing in his skull. She looked up at his huge head, looking slightly flustered.

"You alright?" Realization suddenly hit him like a slap in the face.

"You came to stay with me." He phrased it almost like a question, though his voice made it sound like a statement.

"You were calling out to me and shaking, I couldn't just watch." He felt tears starting to prick at his eyes and forced them back. Dragons didn't cry.

"Thanks." He mumbled. She patted his side silently. They sat in silence for a few seconds, Rose finally looking up to him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked quietly. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

"You'll never want to speak to me again."

"Nothing could make me do that." She sounded so sure of herself, like she could actually trust him if he told her. Still... Something about her made him want to spill all his secrets. He closed his eyes, already able to see flames as they blazed through the sky.

"You were screaming, telling me to stop as I..." His voice broke mid-sentence. He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. "I burned everything around you to the ground. You were burning and screaming and..." He trailed off, feeling tears start beading on his snout. He had called out to her in the night and woken her... He was supposed to be ferocious! And here she was comforting him after a nightmare! He shuddered as his mind began to torment him again, flashes of flame, his claws raking through her pale skin, coming away bloodied. She reached out to him, placing her hand on one of his claws.

"It's alright. I'm here." Before she could react, he lifted her in his paws, pulling her against his chest, holding her like she might disappear from his grasp entirely. He didn't know how long they stayed there. He didn't care.

"Thank you." He whispered.

"Ah, you were warmer than my bed." He lowered her slightly, still holding her in his claws. "I can stay if you want." He smiled, hoping that the darkness hid his sorrow.

"If it's not a problem."

"No problem." He placed her on the ground and she promptly curled up under his wing. He lowered it and placed his head in his paws. He didn't remember when he fell asleep, all he knew was that she was there with him, and all was right in his world.

* * *

"This is nice."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Rose adjusted her legs on the roof so they would swing freely, hair blowing slightly in the breeze. His head rested against the pointed roof, eyes closed, completely calm as he let himself relax with her. She absently traced his scales with a finger, making note of the two lighter stripes across his snout, small dark patches on his jawline reminding her of freckles.

"What time are they-"

"Sundown." She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the high-pitched whine that resonated from her scaly friend. She patted his side. "Easy big guy."

"Right then Jack." They both pretended to be annoyed with the other, the spell broken when their faces split into grins. He loved to make her laugh, stealing glances at her when he thought she wasn't looking, just to see if she would fall. She didn't, of course.

He took in his pink-and-yellow human for a moment, memorizing her every feature. The way her tongue darted from between her teeth when she smiled. The way her hair looked like spun gold in the sunlight. She shot him a tongue-touched grin.

"What are you thinking?" He was glad that scales didn't blush. He looked at the ground, shy smile now full-force.

"It's nice to have a friend..."

"Yeah, it's nice to know that you're trapped with someone who cares." He closed his eyes again, exhaling lightly as he tilted his head to the side, leaning it into her arm. "Hold on, that doesn't make sense." He pulled away a little, cocking his head.

"What doesn't make sense?" He hoped it wasn't their friendship.

"You attacked Jack, yeah?" He sighed heavily.

"Yeah..."

"He said you killed him a hundred years ago, but you said it wasn't until after the Tyler raid." He opened his mouth to shoot down her point before realizing that she was right. "And," She continued. "I was six then, and I'm not one-hundred and six, that's certain." He tried to seem nonchalant in his response.

"Memory mustn't be as good as I thought." He mumbled, shoving the doubt to the back of his mind. He could deal with it later.

"It looked crystal clear to me..." The Doctor smiled.

"It's been a long while." She nodded, absently tracing his scales, looking like she was in another world. He cleared his throat, though it came out as more of a growl. It still had the desired effect. She turned to face him, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Did I ever finish my story about Torchwood?" She gave him her full attention after that, the sun sinking lower and lower as he spun his tale. It drew to a close just as the sun sank behind the treeline, the sunset just as stunning as it always had been. And yet, her reaction made it all worthwhile, awestruck eyes reflecting the beauty of the sky. And even after seeing thousands of sunsets, this one was... special. "Wanna see it from a new angle?" He had barely asked the question before she scaled his snout, perching between his ears. He could practically hear her smiling.

"This is what you meant, yeah?" He grinned even though she couldn't see it.

"Duh." He flared his wings. "Got a good grip?" He felt her lace her fingers through his hair.

"I'm not going anywhere." He raised his head off the roof, feeling her pull just a little harder at his mane as he flared his wings, catching the wind like an oversized kite.

"Allons-y!" With that, he sprang into the sky, laughing slightly as Rose let out a hoot. He pulled up easily, the wind beneath his wings helping to lift him toward the clouds flecked with sunlight. She leaned closer to him as he gained altitude.

"What exactly was your plan?" She shouted above the wind.

"You'll see." His bandaged paw clawed at the air as he hurtled upward. "Tell me if you feel faint." He cautioned.

"Got it." He strained his wings for a few moments more, coasting just under the cloud layer for a moment. He felt one of Rose's hands leave his head, practically able to hear her grin as she ran her fingers through the clouds. Gently, he arched his neck and pulled up. The clouds parted around him and he heard Rose gasp at the sight.

Sunlight shone through the blanket of white below them, fiery reds and yellows blazing in the sky. His hearts warmed up when she relaxed her grip, leaning back a little as she took it all in. "It's beautiful..." She breathed.

"Really?"

"Yeah..." He grinned lopsidedly, feeling his ear begin to twitch. He skimmed the clouds with a talon, letting his body loosen up a little. Neither of them said a word. Stars began to show above them, the moon looking down like a watchful eye on the pair. The vibrant colors began to fade to a shade of indigo, streaks of violet playing near the blazing orb that was the sun as it sank. "We should get ourselves to the meet, they'll be worried if we're late."

"Alright, hold on!" He shot up a few hundred feet before letting himself plummet toward the ground. Rose let out a squeak as the earth came into view. Wind whistled in his ears, the noise deafening. Finally, right when it seemed they would crash to the ground, his wings snapped open. They veered back, his hind legs touching down in the dirt. It was a slightly showoffy landing, but he was in the mood. He tried not to react when a jolt of pain shot up his wrist. Rose caught on.

"You alright?" He tightened the bandage.

"Always Alright, me!" He remarked cheerfully. "Now, we should be close, yeah?" He lowered his head to allow her to slide off his snout. She landed lightly on her feet.

"Yeah, just up ahead!" That's when a scream echoed through the woods. She froze, body tensing, eyes wide with shock. The Doctor protectively pulled her close to him. His senses were on high alert and he cursed himself for being so careless. He could smell horses, he could also tell that more than just her friends were lurking in the dark. Rose began to try and escape him, causing him to hold her tighter.

"You stay here." With that, he threw caution to the winds, pushing her out of his way and dashing headlong into the trees. He could hear Rose calling out to him. He could hear someone else shouting.

"DOCTOR! GET OUT OF HERE!"

Donna...

He steeled himself, baring his teeth. He promised he would protect them, and that was a promise he intended to keep. Snapping and snarling, he entered the clearing, snatching Donna in his claws. She squirmed for a moment, trying to pull away before seeming to realize who's claws she was currently stranded in. He felt her body sag with relief. Pulling her out of danger, he let flames burst from his throat, lowering his head to try and see what the danger was. His fire reflected in the terrified eyes of the men. Nine men, to be exact.

Well.

Nine men and one Adam.

He could feel Donna trembling in his clutches, though if she was more afraid of the horsemen or him, he didn't know. Adam stepped forward, not looking to be scared, which was rather surprising, cool and collected as he faced down the dragon in front of him.

"I suggest that you put her down." He all but purred. The Doctor tightened his grip.

"And if I refuse?" He growled, trying to be the ferocious beast they all thought he was. Adam smirked.

"Then she dies." The Doctor pulled Donna closer.

"Nothing's happening to her."

"I didn't say she would be the one." Adam raised his arm, causing The Doctor to flare his wings in alarm. That's when a second cry reached his ears.

"No! Let me GO!" The Doctor let go of Donna, whirling around with hackles raised.

"NOW!" Adam roared. The Doctor hardly heard him, frantically looking for Rose, teeth bared. He made out a knighted figure, forcing her hands behind her back, Rose struggling frantically in her haste to escape. Rage burned through him. They locked eyes just before heavy chains cut into his back. He reacted violently, digging his claws into the ground as they fastened the chains to trees around him, pinning his wings and forcing his head to the ground.

His snout dug into the earth below, claws sinking into the muck. Flames billowed from his jaws when he spoke, looking every bit like a monster in a fairytale.

"Hurt her and I swear none of you will make it out of here alive." He growled. Smoke spilled from his open mouth, drifting into the night sky. Adam strode closer to his snout, drawing his sword with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Struggle, and she dies." He gloated, enjoying the temporary feeling of power as it coursed through his veins. He raised his sword. The Doctor gave one more pull before collapsing in a heap. He was vaguely aware of someone calling to him. It took him a moment to register that it was Rose. The Doctor felt the metal connect with the side of his face, scales tearing off, warm blood dripping down his snout.

He wasn't going to fight back.

He didn't want to risk her life.

"Don't worry about me, get out of here!" She sounded desperate. The knife was pushed closer to her throat, causing her to inhale sharply in a strangled fashion. Adam suddenly looked like he was struck with a thought.

"Where's the redhead?" He turned back to The Doctor with disgust. "Speak." The Doctor snarled.

"She's safe." He had seen that she would get away. Adam glared at him. The Doctor closed his eyes before the man's boot connected with his eyelid, bruising the skin underneath. He heard Rose cry out, his eyes flying open. She had a hand over her mouth, the other one still clasped roughly behind her back.

"Doctor..." He could see all the pain in her eyes and hoped desperately that she couldn't see the emotions in his. He tried to smile at her, though it looked more like a wince. The heel of Adam's boot connected with the side of his head, the sword coming down with another swish, slicing the other side of his head above his eye. More blows fell on his back and head, each one punctuated by a noise of protest and hurt from Rose.

"I know you won't fight." He taunted, pointing the sword between his ears. He let it linger there for much longer than The Doctor was comfortable with. After a small eternity, Adam pulled it away. "But I need you alive. You're going to be a public example." He gestured to the men. "Get the muzzle." Rose fought hard, crying out to him as the chains locked his jaws together, connecting at the back of his head and looping between the other restraints. Adam grabbed Rose by the wrist, causing her to pull away.

"You can't do this to me!" She hissed. Adam grinned.

"I believe I just did." He turned back to his men. "I'll be back." He was powerless to do anything but watch as she was slung over the back of a horse and taken away. His hearts pounded against his ribcage, weighed down with guilt. He had just watched. He had watched as his best friend was stolen right from under his nose.

No.

He wasn't calling this the end.

Sure, he had been stupid and a little bit reckless. Sure, they weren't exactly the best definition of a dragon and a princess, but he didn't WANT to be a monster, and Rose was one of the few humans who had understood that he could be something different. Making his mind up, he slowly surveyed his guards.

None of them looked to be too intimidated by him, all just checking his restraints. Slowly, he began to test the muzzle. He managed to get his mouth about a quarter open before he was unable to move it without becoming conspicuous. Next, he let his tail swing for a moment, feeling small jolts of pain run up his spine. That wasn't something he was eager to try again. Upon doing more experimentation, he found that his wings were the only part of him that was well and truly pinned.

His injuries from Adam were painful, inflicted in places that were more sensitive. Painful, but more annoying than harmful. Deciding to try one last thing, he closed his eyes and lowered his mental barrier like he had done with Rose, searching for anyone familiar. It was so faint that he nearly missed it at first, skimming from guard to guard before he suddenly connected with someone. It recoiled from him, causing him to try and reassure it.

 _Wait! Please stay..._

His ears twitched as a reply was whispered from the woods.

"Where's Rose?"

 _Martha_?

He could feel the confusion leeching off her in waves, and knew that she was choosing not to accuse him of bonding his conscious with hers, though it did cross her mind more than once.

"Yeah, it's me."

 _You don't have to talk, I can hear you._

Panic began to break through the confusion.

 ** _Why are you in my head?_**

 _Just imagine a door closing. I won't look, I promise. I was just seeing if anyone else was here._

A few mental blocks were put into place on her end before she tried to communicate again.

 _ **What happened?**_

The Doctor quickly replayed the last little while for her, giving her a quick summary of the past few minutes, even though it felt longer. All he could see behind his eyes was Rose's terrified face, all he was able to feel the throbbing pain coursing through his body.

 ** _Are you hurt?_**

 _Not really._

 ** _Liar._**

 _You can't help anyway, there's no point._

 ** _I can. I'm a doctor too._**

 _Can you get past the guards?_

 ** _I think so, but you're going to have to pretend you don't know me._**

With that, she broke off communication, leaving him to do nothing but wait for her. He could hear her footsteps growing closer as she trekked through the leaves, hearts pounding, nervous for her sake. One of the men turned to look at him and The Doctor cursed inwardly at his eager state. He flattened his ears against his head and growled softly in warning. That's when a snap from the woods caused hope to spark in his chest.

Martha emerged from the trees, chin raised, hands clutching the handle of a basket. She was stopped by one of the men.

"State your business." He growled. The Doctor was able to tell she was trying hard to keep a nervous quiver out of her voice.

"Adam sent me. I'm supposed to make sure he looks ferocious." She jerked a thumb in the direction of the chained dragon. The guard narrowed his eyes.

"Why would I let you do that?" He sneered.

"Do you really want him to have to fight a kicked puppy?"

"N-"

"Then let me help him." The guard eyed her suspiciously, but let her pass. He kept his gaze trained on her as she made her way to his side, gently setting the basket beside his snout. She looked over his injuries, trying to stay composed, clasping her hands together to try and hide her shaking. She pulled out a bottle of salve.

"Tell me if it hurts." She whispered. She gently applied a small amount of the substance to the gash between his ears. He winced, trying to hide his pain.

 _That stings._

"Good. That means it's working." She worked in silence, The Doctor hissing a little in agitation every time she pressed too hard, hitting her with a mental sorry each time he scared her. He moved his jaws, feeling the chain tighten around his snout when he put pressure on it. "How strong are the chains?" Martha whispered.

 _Nothing I can't handle._

She applied some more around his eye, shifting to his other side. He winced.

"How come you haven't left yet?"

 _Adam threatened Rose's life, I don't want him to hurt her because of me._

"He threatened her life? She's royalty!"

 _I know. It's wrong._

"Damn right it is!" The two were so engaged in their conversation, they both failed to notice the guard as he crept up behind them.

"What kind of conversation are the pair of you having?" He snapped, shoving Martha's shoulder a little as he did so. The Doctor growled, causing the man to backpedal. Martha didn't even flinch.

"He's just someone to talk to."

"He?"

"Does it look like a she?"

 _I hope not._

Martha bit her lip, trying her best not to laugh at his snide comments.

 _And 'it'? C'mon Martha!_

After what seemed like a small eternity, the guard turned his back on them, looking into the forest beyond. Martha turned back to him.

"You almost blew my cover!" She hissed. But The Doctor wasn't listening, a plan slowly starting to formulate in his mind.

 _Martha, I'm going to need to know exactly who the guards will be._

* * *

"You can't do this!" Rose fought against the ropes around her wrists, feeling the area start to burn as she struggled. Adam didn't say a word as he pulled her off the horse, hauling her in the direction of the castle. She couldn't quite get the image of The Doctor out of her head, chained and bound, snout digging into the earth below as he lashed out. She glared at Adam when he tried to make eye-contact with her, maniac grin dominating his face.

"Lost your voice, Princess?" She resisted the sudden urge to spit in his rat face.

"No, just trying to figure out how exactly you plan to run this past my mother." She quipped. Much to her surprise, he smiled wider.

"It's really not that hard to earn her trust where you're concerned. She practically locked herself in the dungeon..." Rose felt her insides turn to water.

"What?

"Did I not mention that tiny detail?" He feigned surprise, rocking back and forth on his heels. "It's really not that hard to replace the castle staff with my own peasant army, you know how they're starving. All who refused were locked up with her. It's amazing what people will do with the promise of a few measly coins..." Rose fought to keep her temper in check, struggling all the while with the fact that he had locked up the only family she had left.

"You're not getting away with this!" Her voice sounded slightly strangled.

"Why not?" She squared her shoulders, eyes ablaze with words unspoken.

"Because, that dragon that you just beat in the clearing is not one to give up. You may have won the fight, but you're gonna lose the war." Adam tightened the binds around her wrists.

"That's your opinion." He growled, forcing her down the stone halls without pause. All she could do was try not to stumble as her shoes hooked on the cobbles beneath her. The hallways seemed to stretch forever, each step she took serving as a reminder that she was absolutely useless.

She could have made him wait.

She could have run after him.

"He's going to get out." She growled. "And when he does, you'll be sorry you ever did so much as lay a finger on me!" She tried to sound confident, desperate not to let him know that she was scared out of her wits. He didn't even respond to her pleas, forcing her through the archway leading into the dungeon, slamming the heavy metal doors behind her.

"He's going to be dead tomorrow, so if he gets out..." He leaned closer to the iron gate separating the pair. "I just get to kill him sooner." Rose did nothing but watch as he walked away, the desperation of the situation finally sinking in.

"Rose?!" She whirled around.

"Mum!" It wasn't even a conscious decision as she fell into her mother's arms. "This is all my fault." She choked out, shaking slightly. Jackie smoothed her daughter's hair, gently rocking back and forth.

"You're safe now." She whispered. "In a dungeon, but safe from that creature." Rose sniffed.

"Adam, you mean?" A snort sounded from the other side of the iron.

"Good eye, that girl." Rose wasted no time in flying to the iron rails, gripping them with white knuckles. The sight that met her eyes was familiar, to say the least. Leather jacket. Icy eyes.

"John!" He half-smiled in his typical fashion, nodding slightly.

"Hello."

"Hello."

* * *

Amelia Pond tore through the woods, red hair streaming behind her as she leaped over a felled log, too-big pants she had nicked nearly catching on a branch. Her knife glinted in the starlight shining through the trees. The sound of footsteps on her heels pushed her to go faster. She had barely evaded capture. Clara hadn't been so lucky. She hadn't seen either heads nor tails of Donna and Martha, though she suspected they had managed to escape. Escape was what she was currently trying to do, though her pursuer seemed to think that it wasn't a good idea to let her run free.

Snarls and roars echoed from their clearing, startling her to the point of nearly stumbling. She knew she couldn't keep running forever. A quick glance behind her told her that her pursuer wasn't faring too well either. Making her mind up, she whirled around and pounced, catching him off guard. She landed full on his chest, knife pressed against his throat, eyes ablaze with fury. She lowered the knife, hooking it under his helm. He tried to swat her hand away, causing her to press the knife closer to his throat.

"You're going to tell me everything that you've been up to with Adam, or I'm going to kill you." The man froze, but didn't say a word. She idly placed the knife under his helmet, the man once again trying to swat her away. "You aren't in a position to fight me! I'm armed, and VERY cross!" He snorted.

"Like I don't know that." The helmet clattered to the ground, revealing a rather flustered looking Rory. She withdrew the knife at an impressive speed, pressing on both of his shoulders to keep him pinned.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" She hissed in his ear. He sighed.

"Saving your arse." She eased off her pressure for a moment, trying to figure him out.

Not the first time he's been a mystery to you.

"How?" He tried to stand, lightly shoving her shoulder to ger her off of him.

"They're not going to let you eavesdrop without a guard." She stood, squaring her shoulders.

"Why are you on his side?" Rory smiled timidly.

"Figured you'd want some information, this is the best way of getting it." She eyed him closely, trying to fight off the grin slowly creeping onto her face.

"Thanks, stupid." He flashed her a grin.

"No problem."


	7. Plans and Problems

**Hooo-Boy have I missed this fic... Sorry for the absolutely HUUUGE wait between chapter updates. Believe me, I'd have them out faster if I could concentrate for more than ten bloody minutes at a time... Anyway, things are heating up now! Lots of characters meeting, and a few scenes I've wanted to include ever since I started this little story on a particularly boring day. I promise not to keep you for any longer, as you have waited for MORE than long enough.**

 **-Cheers!**

* * *

"So." Rose was trying desperately to keep all of her emotions in check as she faced down her northern guard. "You're on his side." He sighed, closing his eyes for a few moments before making proper eye contact.

"Rose I-"

"You what?!"

"I'm on your side."

"You're guarding me!" Jackie placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Rose, sweetheart, I ASKED him to." Rose pulled away from Jackie, hurt and confusion clear to see on her face.

"You ASKED him to betray us?!" Her voice was at least one octave too high as she struggled to process the information being given to her. John rolled his eyes, mumbling something under his breath that Rose didn't quite manage to catch. "What was that?" She snapped, whirling on him.

"I was just thinkin' about how all this is just bloody fantastic." He explained, sarcasm dripping from his every word. "Like I honestly wanted Adam to lock you two up in the dungeon, along with that school teacher friend of Rose's." Rose flew to the bars, gripping them tightly.

"Clara! Is she hurt!?" John shook his head.

"She took a tumble when one of Adam's men grabbed her, though she's alright. More scared than actually wounded."

"And you know this how?" John locked eyes with her, making sure he held her attention as he spoke.

"Because she let me explain what I was doing as I locked her up."

"You LOCKED her up!?" John scratched at the back of his neck.

"Blimey, this sounds really bad when you say it all out loud..." Rose was hearing none of it.

"You claim to be on my side, even though you're the reason we're stuck in here!?" John finally seemed to lose his patience.

"I, miss Tyler, am NOT the reason you are currently locked up!" He snapped, catching Rose off guard. "Adam and that dragon are to blame for your misfortune, NOT me!" Rose shrank back at his harsh tone. "I'm just getting information so I can get you all out." He explained, a little more gentle sounding.

"He's not a monster." She mumbled. Jackie placed a hand on her shoulder, causing Rose to look at her.

"Rose, you don't know that-"

"Yeah, actually, I do." She replied hotly. Jackie opened her mouth to argue, but Rose cut her off. "Listen, the reason we started talking was because we were lonely!" She searched her Mother's eyes for any sign of recognition, anything at all to let her know that her words were being heard. "That was the first day."

"Who spoke first?" Rose bit her lip.

"He did." She saw Jackie's expression harden and tried to explain herself. "I fell, he heard me cry out and made sure I was alright. He said he would leave me alone, but I told him to stay."

"Rose, if I may." John's voice cut through the tension that was slowly building in the cell. A few moments of silence passed. John finally decided it was safe to speak, simply saying. "He didn't kill her on their way here." Jackie frowned.

"What do you mean 'on their way here?'" Rose cursed under her breath. Her Mother clearly hadn't known about her new hobby of dragon riding.

"Mum, I had to get here somehow..." Jackie's face suddenly lit up with understanding, anger surfacing just under it.

"He flew you!?" This wasn't going well.

"More than once." She added quietly. John raised his eyebrows, smiling slightly, clearly amused by the way the conversation was panning out.

"Rose Tyler, dragon rider." He mused. She almost smiled. "He didn't kill you then, and from what you say, he seems rather polite." The barrier she was holding up crumbled and she flashed him a smile. Jackie looked at the pair of them like they were insane.

"He's hypnotized her, can't you see that?!" John's gaze flicked over Rose's frame. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but his mouth stayed closed, leaving Rose to explain herself.

"He did it once, but I caught him in the act. You should've seen how ashamed he was. He couldn't keep a secret to save his life." John cleared his throat.

"I think she's right." He turned to Jackie, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "We both know she's got a good heart, good judge of character... Hell, remember when you got all worked up over her hanging out with Amy?" Rose's jaw dropped.

"You knew?" Jackie snorted.

"Of course we knew. You weren't exactly invisible the first time..." John shuffled his feet.

"Or the second... But the point is, she was completely fine. If we trusted her then, we can trust her now." The sound of footsteps from down the hall caused John to stand to bolt upright. "And with that, I'm off to check on Clara. I'll try and get you out." Rose watched his black clad back disappear down the hall, long strides carrying him out of her sight.

The second he turned down another dimly lit corridor, Jackie turned to her daughter.

"We need to talk." Rose raised her eyebrows.

"About what? The fact that I've botched everything we stood for, or the fact that we're currently locked in a dungeon?" Jackie sighed, refusing to meet Rose's eyes.

"Both." Rose leaned back against the wooden bench they were supplied with, pulling her knees up onto it.

"Alright." She tipped her head back, feeling it come into contact with the hard stone behind her. She sat in silence as Jackie paced the floor, not speaking, clearly trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. Heck, Rose was still trying to make sense of what had happened. The bench creaked as her Mother sat beside her. Rose shifted over to make room without opening her eyes.

"I want you to have this." Rose opened her eyes, frowning slightly. Jackie held out a small amulet, pure white stone embedded in the center, gold chain wrapped around the outer edge. She emptied it into Rose's palm, pressing her hand atop it. "Your father gave this to me, said to break it if I needed help, like if my life was in danger." Rose tried to push it back.

"Mum, I-" Jackie pushed it firmly.

"Take it. You need it more than I do." Finally, Rose gave in, threading it around her neck. The gem seemed to flash in recognition when it came into contact with her skin, so fast, she thought she had imagined it.

"Thank you." Jackie smiled sadly.

"Gave it to me on the day he was killed." The words sank deep into her chest, guilt knotting in her gut. "Dragon incinerated him, you were only six." She sniffed quietly. "You insisted on going with him, though I suppose you don't remember it." Rose reached for her Mother's hand.

"I do." She said quietly. "It tormented my every dream, dragons with fire spouting from their mouths..." She swallowed hard. "But then I met The Doctor. And everything was different."

"Who's-"

"The dragon, Mum. That's his name. He was the only thing that made the nightmares stop. I faced my fears." She laughed mirthlessly mid-sentence. "Didn't realize just how literal that would be."

"What do you mean?" Rose giggled again, though joy wasn't present.

"Haven't you figured it out yet? He's the one who burned him to a crisp." Jackie froze.

"How-"

"He showed me, that's how I knew he wasn't bonding with me. I asked him, he was honest." Her voice quivered a little. "And I still trust him with my life." She had her eyes closed, thinking back to the night before. "He had a nightmare, Mum, so I went to comfort him. He said he dreamed about me burning because of him. I don't think I've ever seen anyone more scared."

"That doesn't mean any-" Rose didn't stop talking.

"He didn't kill anyone who tried to save me, just frightened them off. He has a heart Mum, two of them, and both are good. He regrets it every waking hour. Can't you trust me?" She opened her eyes slowly. Jackie was holding onto her every word, looking at her with admiration.

"He murdered people, and yet you still think he can change."

"I know he can change."

Rose glanced at the door, noting at once the heavy lock in place around the bars. They were well and truly trapped, and yet... Hope sparked in her chest. "He's not going to give up, mark my words. He's going to get us out of here, I know it."

Jackie smiled, squeezing Rose's hand reassuringly. At least she had hope, and even if that hope lay in a scaly beast, it was still there.

* * *

Martha ducked around a corner, breath slightly ragged from running for so long. Her hands were slightly shaky, much to her dismay. Slowly, she peered around the stone wall, ducking back behind it the second she saw someone coming. Forcing herself to act natural, she casually strode past the armor clad man, trying desperately not to make eye contact.

 _Get a grip, Martha. You can do this._

She had told The Doctor that she would get the guard schedule, and she wasn't going to let him down. He wasn't going to die without putting up a fight. Nervously, she fled down the stone hallway, walking as fast as her dark dress would allow. Her knees knocked together. She tried to push away her growing doubts. With a burst of courage, she inched further down the corridor, pushing open the first door she came across.

 _Nothing._

From the looks of it, it was a bloody storage cabinet. A small mop was propped up against a low window, almost looking like a person was sitting in the small room, just waiting for her to make a false move. She laughed nervously, since when was she afraid of a broom closet? She was just about to let the door swing back shut when a hand on her shoulder caused her to freeze in place, heart dropping down to her shoes.

Slowly, she turned around, cold sweat dripping down her back as she prepared to be captured. She tried frantically to remember if any more doors were within running distance of the closet.

"Hi, Martha." She looked up in shock as the voice of Mickey Smith greeted her. He smiled crookedly at her. "What brings you here?" She bit her lip in hesitation. Mickey was a good friend, but could she trust him?

"I-I-"

Her mind raced to come up with a half-decent excuse, each one more unbelievable than the last. He furrowed his brow, brown eyes scanning her to try and figure her out.

"What-"

"I'mhelpingthedragon." She mumbled. He frowned.

"You're..." Martha sighed, defeated.

"The dragon. I'm helping him escape." She had expected Mickey to be angry, report her, call his guards, or worse- Call Adam.

"What do you need me to do?" She blinked.

"What?"

"How can I help?" She took a step back, nearly stumbling over a mop bucket and back into the closet. Catching herself on the doorframe, she stared at him in shock.

"You want to-"

"Help." He confirmed. "That creature is far better than the man paying me. What do you need to do?" She wasn't going to press her luck, deciding on the spot that his word was good enough for her.

"I need the guard schedule."

"This way." He grabbed her wrists from behind, leading her through the stony interior of the castle. She didn't fight against him, letting him lead her deeper and deeper into the darkness. He abruptly pulled her down another hall. She tried her best not to stumble as her dress became tangled in her legs. He swung open a door with a clatter. A thud from within the chamber caused the two of them to leap back.

"What the hell are the pair of you doing here?" A man sat at the desk in the middle of the room, his feet set on the papers atop it. He fiddled idly with a suspender strap as he watched them. "I'm not mad, just curious." Martha and Mickey shared a confused look. The odd man heaved a sigh, lowering his feet and resting his chin on his hands. His bright eyes looked them over in an amused fashion. "Oh come on, I know you're not supposed to be here. What can I do for you?" Mickey swallowed hard, but set his jaw.

"The guard schedule." The man raised an eyebrow, tilting forward a little.

"What for?"

"To let the dragon out." The man grinned, springing upright. He offered her his hand, which she gingerly shook.

"Harkness, Captian Jack Harkness. I believe I can be of service." He shook Mickey's hand before beginning rifling through a stack of papers. "Help me look." The three of them began searching through stacks of papers, a few fluttering to the floor. Martha made sure to keep an eye on Jack. She didn't know his true intentions, but something about him made her a little uneasy.

"Why are you helping us?" He didn't look up from his papers, a look of extreme concentration on his face.

"Let's just say him and I go way back."

"The Doctor?" Jack nodded, still rifling through the stacks. Mickey frowned.

"Who's that?"

"The dragon," Jack mumbled. Martha was about to ask another question when Jack suddenly let out a triumphant: "Yes!" Mickey and Martha were at his side in an instant, pouring over the parchment.

Martha was quick to read the schedule, eyes darting across the page. Jack pointed at a circled area at the top of the sheet.

"That's who's going to drag him to the town square. Best archers in the kingdom." His thumb smudged the charcoal. He grinned. "Or not." He turned to Mickey. "Who's on our side?" Mickey tapped on a few names.

"Rory for sure, You and I..." His voice trailed off. "We're pathetic." Jack shook his head.

"No, there's enough of us to make up almost an entire squadron. We need one more name. We aren't enough to escort him, but we can take the next shift." Taking the charcoal, he penciled in one more name.

"Who's John?" Martha questioned.

"If he's against us, we're screwed, but something tells me he's on our side." He met Martha's skeptical eyes. "Trust me on this. John's a bit tough, but he's got a heart of gold." Martha took a deep breath.

"Alright. Throw him on." She then turned to face the two men. "Rory's leading him to the square, correct?" Jack nodded.

"As well as Adam, leading the way." Mickey snorted.

"Can't change that too much then." Jack smudged off everything other than the names of Adam and Rory.

"No, but we can give him the worst team of archers we've got." Mickey and Jack began to write down a few names, chatting in hushed voices. She sauntered over to the semi-fractured window.

Everything outside seemed so peaceful as the light crept over the trees. And yet for her, it was like a punch to the gut. Reality began to set in. Here she was, risking her life, and for what? A fire breathing dragon she hadn't known for very long.

That's not exactly true.

Piped up a tiny voice.

You're fighting for your kingdom, Martha. Everything you stand for, and if you need to help a dragon, then so be it.

She went to go stand next to Jack, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Do you know where Rose is?" His expression sobered immediately.

"No, nobody does except for John."

"All the more reason to get him on our side."

The Doctor hadn't expected being held captive to be so boring. Terrifying, sure. Painful even, but boring? He sighed heavily, tail swishing behind him whenever the guards weren't looking. Martha had promised she would be back soon, but it seemed that she had no concept of what soon meant. He tried to find a reason as to why she was so slow at finding his information, his explanations growing more and more ridiculous as the night wore on.

He was just about to attempt to get loose when a small voice smacked reasoning back into him.

"Miss me?" His ears flew upright.

 _Oh God, yes._

"Sorry for taking so long, but I think you'll be happy with why I'm so late." He tried to sit upright, eliciting a few shouts from his human captors. Grudgingly, he lowered his head with a snarl, letting his tail wrap around his body protectively as more blows rained down. He whimpered silently, old wounds being torn open by spears.

 _Hurry._

He heard her footsteps pick up speed and silently willed her to go faster as the men slowly refrained from beating him. He closed his eyes, trying to hide behind his wings, paws placed behind his tail.

"What happened to keeping him alive?!" Martha stormed into the clearing, basket in hand once more, bandages trailing from within it. He opened his eyes. "Again, do you WANT the final execution to be pathetic?" Apologies were mumbled to her, nobody meeting her fearsome glare. He lowered his wings, practically shaking with relief as she began to patch him up once more.

 _Lower your barrier._

She didn't hesitate this time, all necessary locks and walls already in place.

 _ **Right, so I found the guard schedule with a bit of help from Mickey.**_

The Doctor snorted, but didn't interrupt.

 _ **And get this, Rory's supposed to lead you into the square. You were also supposed to be flanked by the best marksmen in the land, but I may have changed a few details...**_

He grinned, causing her to shrink back when he revealed his teeth. He snapped his mouth shut.

 _You are absolutely brilliant, you know that?_

 _ **We got caught in the act by a man called Jack Harkness, thought we were goners.**_

The Doctor barely managed to contain a whoop of joy as it rose in his throat.

 _ **He helped us switch your guard schedule as well, so when it changes, you've got him, Mickey, Rory, and John.**_

 _Who's John?_

 ** _Jack's pretty sure he's going to betray Adam. You have to have at least four guards, so we couldn't get around it._**

She began to apply the bandages on some of the bigger cuts and scrapes, The Doctor struggling not to react when she pushed too hard. His head ached.

 _How bad are they?_

She hesitated.

 ** _Not that bad._**

 _Be honest._

 _ **You'll be quite sore, but there shouldn't be scarring.**_

He winced as the liquid trickled between his ears again, the cloth in her hands swabbing away the blood on his snout.

 _Better than being crippled I suppose. When's the shift change?_

 ** _Jack said it would be soon._**

She continued patching him up in silence after that. He didn't press her to speak. He resigned himself to watch the stars, the day of his death drawing nearer and nearer with every star that faded out of view. He named them as they sparked out of sight, years of stargazing coming back to him as he counted the pinpricks of light in the indigo haze of sky. He was oddly unconcerned about his own demise, feeling as though it was rather fitting. Sure, he'd miss being alive, but at least he couldn't hurt anyone anymore.

That being said...

He knew his death would hurt a few people close to him, which was painful to think about. He pressed those thoughts into the far corner of his mind.

 _You're a monster._

 _You're not worth it._

Taunted a voice in his head. For the first time since the Tyler raid, he truly believed it.

 _ **Have you seen anyone else?**_

Martha's voice cut through his thoughts. He responded quickly, grateful for the distraction.

 _Donna, though I scared her quite badly._

 _ **She alright?**_

 _She's fine. I don't know where she is, but she's still alive somewhere. Hopefully far away from here._

Martha had moved out of his sight, but he could feel her starting on the gashes on his back. He shuddered, holding back a hiss of agitation for her sake.

 _How did you know to bring the basket of supplies?_

 ** _I heard you were going to get captured. Too late to warn you though, so I figured I could help clean up the mess._**

 _Thank you._

He would've said more, as he felt that a simple 'thank you' didn't quite express his gratitude, but the sudden sound of horses caused a growl to escape his throat. His guards shared nervous looks, one of them stepping back into a tree to avoid the chained beast.

 _ **What? You alright?**_

 _I'm fine. Shift change is happening now._

The second he had told her of what he had heard approaching, the horsemen burst through the trees in the morning sun. The eve of his execution. The first man that rode in on a brown stallion wasn't someone he recognized. His hearts sank. That, of course, was before Jack, Mickey, and Rory followed behind him.

"Right, that concludes your shift for the evening." The bartender ordered, sliding off his horse with a flourish. He landed gracefully, casually leaning up against a tree. Rory and Mickey followed suit, leather jacket the last to dismount, blue eyes looking a little intrigued at the sight of him chained and bound. "Take the horses and get outta here."

Jack shot The Doctor a grin when the other men had left and was about to take charge when the other man started dishing out orders.

 _John..._

"Right, I want to know who exactly switched the guard schedule, because I had to cross quite a few lines be able to guard the Princess, so if you could re-cross the lines, that'd be great." The Doctor fought not to react when he mentioned Rose, relief and anger washing over him.

She was alive, but she was a captive.

Jack looked uncomfortable, sharing a nervous glance with Mickey. John caught onto this, a frown tugging at his features. The Doctor slowly lifted his head. John tightened his hold on the heavy chains. Jack shot him a warning look, also readjusting his grip.

"Careful there." He mumbled. John looked at him curiously. The Doctor decided it was time to intervene.

 _Jack, be honest with him._

Jack didn't even flinch as the dragon addressed him in his head, shooting him a funny look out of the corner of his eye in response to his request. With a sigh, he looked back at John.

"Here's the lowdown." Jack let go of the chains, Mickey quickly mimicking his motion. "We're not exactly happy with the fact that Adam's taken control." John laughed hollowly.

"You're not the only ones." Rory nodded his agreement. Jack turned to The Doctor.

"Wanna take it from here?" The Doctor lifted his head, some of the chains falling freely to the ground. His muzzle stayed latched in place, much to his annoyance. He felt Martha slide off his back when he moved to face the men. Rory was deathly pale, hands shaking on the chains that were slowly slipping out of his grasp.

Slowly, the dragon lowered his barrier and flexed his claws, feeling pins and needles start to affect his wings. He growled in annoyance, causing John to instinctively reach for the knife at his waist. He closed his eyes and began to address everyone in the clearing by name.

 _Rory, Jack, Mickey, and John._

John's mental barrier flew into place, the strength of it surprising The Doctor. Mickey gave his chain a hearty yank. The Doctor felt the steel bite into his wounds, tearing a few open once more. He eyed Rory closely, focusing on the only man who hadn't reacted when he spoke. Even though they were scared, he made sure his voice was heard by all.

 _You remember me, don't you?_

Rory nodded meekly.

"Yessir." The Doctor still made sure he was projecting to everyone in the clearing as he continued to speak to the terrified human.

 _Look. I don't want to hurt anyone, but they've got Rose, and I'm not leaving her with him. All I'm asking for is some help, I promise. Dragon's honor._

John snorted.

"What honor? No offense, but you can't have all that much 'honor' if you are the dragon I think you are." The Doctor suddenly went stiff, eyes flashing with regret.

 _Don't you accuse me of being a_ beast.

He snarled, taking a step closer to John. The guardsman didn't even flinch, jaw set, arms crossed, absolutely unreadable.

 _I have more regrets than stars in the sky. I have killed more people than you have ever met and I want to fix the mess I've made._

John regarded him quietly, floored by the sheer amount of raw emotion that radiated off the beast. He and Rory shared a glance, and simultaneously dropped their chains, Mickey dropping his slightly after, his muscles refusing to work properly due to the sheer amount of fear gripping him. The Doctor immediately began to stretch his limbs, wings flaring in the small amount of wind blowing through the trees. He suddenly froze and yelped, wings freezing in place.

"What?" Asked Jack, a concerned undertone to his words. The Doctor hissed in agitation and fluttered his wings. John ducked. He narrowly missed being bludgeoned by the offending appendage.

 _Pins and needles._

He explained whilst shaking, twitching, and making noises akin to an angry cat. Jack hid a grin. The Doctor's ears suddenly snapped upright. His eyes scanned the trees a the noise of a weapon being unsheathed reached him. Someone softly cursed in the woods. He dropped his ears.

 _Call Amy out from the bushes._

Rory paled.

"What?" He tried again, speaking slower than before.

 _Amy. In the bushes. I can hear her._

The bushes crackled nearer to them, confirming his statement. Rory looked in the direction of the snapping leaves and cleared his throat, a tentative call escaping his lips.

"Amy? You can come out. He knows you're here." He heard her groan. Martha turned her head in the direction of the woods, peering over The Doctor's scaly hide.

"Amy?" Her voice quavered. The bushes rustled once more before she finally stepped into the clearing. Twigs and leaves were tangled in her ginger locks, too-big shirt ripped at the sleeves. Her wild eyes took in the scene in front of her before settling on Martha. A smile tugged at her features.

Before anyone could react, she was sprinting toward them with a huge grin on her face. She captured Martha in her embrace, pulling her close.

"I thought I'd lost you." Martha gripped her tighter as if she would disappear.

"Have to try harder than that." Amy finally released her, turning to look at Rory. The young man offered her a shy smile.

"Hey." She strode over to him and punched him lightly on the arm.

"Thanks." John looked from The Doctor back to the couple.

"Is anybody going to tell me who she is?" Jack smiled.

"I think she's a friend." Amy suddenly seemed to snap back to reality, holding her knife at the ready. Mickey flinched away from her weapon as she advanced to stand at The Doctor's side.

"I can take out the one with the suspenders if you take the northern one." She growled at The Doctor. A chuckle rumbled from his chest.

 _Amy, meet Jack, Mickey, and John._

He gestured to each of the men in turn with his snout, shooting each a nod. Jack shot her a suggestive smile, earning a rumbling groan of protest from the chained dragon.

"Just saying hello." The Doctor rolled his eyes and swished his tail agitatedly. Amy looked up at the dragon, suddenly seeming to register the sheer amount of scars coating his scales.

"What the hell happened to you?!" He lowered his head.

 _I couldn't fight back. Not properly._

"What d'ya mean? You're a dragon! Just-"

 _Amy, listen to me!_

He snapped, causing her to freeze. He sighed heavily, exhaling through his clenched teeth.

 _They've got Rose captive. I- They were going to kill her if I tried to fight._

"Oh." Her voice was soft. He nodded.

 _I know._

She suddenly spun to face the men assembled.

"So, what're we going to do about it?" Even though it was a question on her lips, the way she said it turned it into a statement, daring them to even try to say they didn't have a plan. Mickey shifted uncomfortably. John avoided her gaze. Jack decided it was time to step in.

"We've switched the schedule of people who are going to escort him to the square, Rory's going to be alone with Adam and our worst archers. The only question now is what exactly we do from there..." The Doctor grinned.

 _I think... I think I've got an idea..._

"C'mon then, spill!" Martha prompted. He nearly laughed at her enthusiasm.

Alright, for starters, Amy, Martha, you've gotta find Donna and Clara.

Martha nodded slowly. Amy frowned.

"Where're we supposed to look? They could be anywhere!" John cleared his throat.

"I can find Clara." Amy narrowed her eyes.

"How would you know where she is?"

 _Amy..._

The Doctor cautioned. She waved his warning away.

"I'm asking a question, John!" She growled. Martha also seemed to want to question him, staying quiet at The Doctor's side. John squared his shoulders.

"I know Jackie Tyler, she asked me to gain Adam's trust. Here I am." He sighed agitatedly, scratching at the back of his neck. "I know where your friend is because I locked her up." Amy glared at him.

"I'm only trusting you because we've got nobody else on our side, you got that?" John nodded.

"Same here." Jack looked between the two of them, aware of the hostility leeching off them in waves. Mickey seemed to be aware of it as well, hastily trying to pull the topic away from John.

"Look, Doctor," He swallowed nervously when the dragon turned to him, pushing away the memories of his huge, gaping, jaws. He had to admit that the muzzle made him feel safer. The dragon's huge eyes seemed to stare into his soul, twin holes into the fabric of space and time itself embedded in the creature's scaly head. "What are we supposed to do?"

 _You and Jack, you've got to go and get Rose. I'm going to trust you to bring her back to me._

"We can't meet here, Big guy." Jack pointed out. "They're going to try and find us if you pull anything."

 _I know. We'll meet at the tower._

"What about me?" Rory piped up. The Doctor looked at the man, causing him to have second thoughts about voicing his opinion.

 _I'll explain later. Just-_

The dragon's ear flopped slightly.

 _Try not to get killed in the meantime, got it?_

The Doctor gave his wings one last stretch, looking at the rising sun with a longing in his eyes, wishing nothing more than to fly off into the clouds without looking back. With a long, shuddering sigh, he folded his wings against his back and lay down with a thud.

 _Chain me up._

He ordered. Jack began to heave the heavy links of metal over The Doctor's back, trying his best to be gentle. Rory and Mickey slowly followed suit, John being the last one, shooting The Doctor a meaningful look.

"I hope your plan doesn't backfire. For her sake." The Doctor nodded solemnly.

 _I know._

The sound of horses suddenly reached his ears, causing him to whip his head up, tail nearly knocking Mickey off his feet.

 _Hurry! They're on their way!_

The men needed no further encouragement, chains quickly being fastened around trees and pulled tightly. The Doctor fought back a feral snarl as it rose in his throat. Amy looked at the trees with a slightly panicked expression. The Doctor nudged her with his snout.

 _Take Martha and go._

She met eyes with him.

"Thank you." His expression softened. Before he could think of anything to say in response, she grabbed Martha's arm. "Let's get out of here. We've gotta find Donna." Martha shot The Doctor one last look of thanks before they disappeared into the trees.

The Doctor listened to the branches beneath their feet snap as they dashed through the brush in the new daylight. The sound of hooves thudded into his skull as they drew closer and closer.

John clenched his teeth.

"Here we go..." He murmured. Adam cantered into the clearing atop a black stallion with white spots dappled across its back. Sweat dripped down its muzzle as it came to a stop in front of The Doctor.

He snarled and tried to lunge forward, the chains stopping him short, snout connecting with the dirt below. Adam didn't fare much better. His horse had decided to go along with its natural instinct not to be eaten and bucked him, making a dash for the forest without looking back.

Worth it.

Adam struggled to get to his feet, refusing help from the team of nervous looking archers. One of them had dropped her bow when he moved. Fear leeched off her in waves.

In fact, as The Doctor took in the ragtag crew, he realized that fear wasn't the only thing on their minds. Before he could pursue the idea further, Adam had hit him upside the head with his sword.

"Where's your little friend?" He purred. "Did she leave you?" He didn't answer. Adam grinned. "She must've left. Her little lie unraveled..." John frowned.

"You aren't supposed to be here just yet. Execution isn't for another few hours." The young man rolled his eyes.

"I need to get myself acquainted with the beast, don't I?"

"Not really." If Adam heard Jack's statement, he didn't acknowledge it. The Doctor had to try not to snort his contempt.

"You can leave now!" He snapped. The Doctor turned to face him, eyes blazing with seething hatred. Adam didn't even flinch when the creature turned to him. "Hello." The Doctor gritted his teeth in an attempt not to try and rip through the muzzle holding his jaws together, brittle chains clanking against his scales, hearts pounding against his ribcage.

"I can stay though, right?" Rory's voice cut through the clamor of his thoughts. Adam's gaze flicked over to The Doctor's team.

"You can stay. They have to go." The Doctor closed his eyes, already knowing they were going to argue.

 _Find Rose. Meet at the tower. Please._

His eyes slowly opened. Jack was glaring daggers at Adam, practically melting his head. John didn't look much better, arms crossed, icy eyes and chiseled features sporting a fearsome glare.

"Fine." Jack huffed, looking to John. John slowly turned away from the clearing and began to walk, Jack quickly tailing after without looking back. "We'll find her." He whispered. The Doctor let out a shuddering sigh.

"Hey, wait up!" Mickey dashed through the woods after them, armored feet clanking in the underbrush. Adam watched them leave with disdain. Rory stole closer to The Doctor, gently loosening the chain holding him down.

 _Thanks._

"Don't mention it." He whispered. The Doctor let a growl resonate from his chest as Adam neared, causing the assembled archers to ready their weapons, all aimed at his head. One arrow hit the dirt beside his snout. Adam looked at him in mock pity.

"Look at you now. No friends." He pulled the arrow from its spot, twirling it absently in his fingers. "Nobody to help you." He tapped it thoughtfully on The Doctor's ear, sick smile becoming just a little wider each time his ear flipped away from the sharp, somewhat pointed stone embedded at the tip. "No. Escape."

The Doctor fought not to react as the barbed tip sank into the soft flesh of his ear.

"You can kill him properly in an hour." Adam glared at Rory.

"Who's to say I can't have a little fun first?" He snarled.

 _Rory, leave him._

Rory looked toward The Doctor to acknowledge his request.

"It's not my place to say, sir." Adam looked at him suspiciously. The Doctor silently willed him not to use what little amount of brains he seemed to possess. After what seemed a small eternity, he finally directed his attention back to The Doctor.

"Check the ropes." He spat. Rory nodded.

"Yessir." As he loosened a few of the chains pinning his wings, he whispered to the dragon. "What's the plan?" The Doctor coughed awkwardly.

 _Right, yes, I was getting to that..._

Rory frowned, feeling something inside of him twist in anticipation. He couldn't help but feel nervous. After all, the plan was coming from a dragon...


	8. Partially Truthful

**BAACK! Well, this chapter ends on a cliffhanger-y note. Terribly sorry about that, but if I continued, it would be insanely long and almost certainly unfinished... Anyway, things are heating up now! Strap yourselves in tight, this is going to be a wild ride...**

* * *

"Where the hell have you been?"

"Well, let me think. I met a dragon, was chased by the royal guards-"

"I'm going to stop you right there young lady!" Snapped Sylvia, cutting off Donna's long-winded explanation. Donna sighed and rolled her eyes, preparing herself for the imminent threat of being grilled by her mother.

"Fine." She growled, sinking into a rickety wooden chair positioned at their table. She put her head in her hands as Sylvia began her rant. She managed to tune out the brunt of the verbal assault, mind drifting to the chained dragon in the clearing and her friends who may or may not be alive.

Her head sank to the table.

How had she ended up in the middle of such a mess?

Flashes of scaled claws and sharp teeth played in her mind, along with the booming voice of the creature Rose had called a friend. His protective nature had surprised her, to say the least, the fact that he was willing to pull her close to keep her from harm rather than just letting her fend for herself puzzling her.

Why had he tried to help?

It's not like he was in danger if you really thought about it, he could incinerate the lot of them with one fatal fire blast if he wanted to, so why hadn't he? Surely it would've been easier to just kill them all.

He could've made a quick snack of her and flown off, but he didn't, and she couldn't figure out why. At least, not until she had seen Rose.

It was harrowing to see one of your best friends with a knife pressed against her throat as she defended the creature. That's when The Doctor had dropped her.

She couldn't ever remember running faster than she had that day, away from the horrors in the clearing. Roars and shouts echoed behind her, footsteps giving chase for what felt like an eternity. She hadn't stopped until she reached her front door, shaken, sweating, legs numb from running.

She kicked herself for being a coward. She kicked herself for not sticking around to help, to try and get Rose to safety. Even helping The Doctor just a little could've been enough for her. Then again, getting caught wasn't going to do any good.

The sound of the door being swung open jarred her out of her thoughts.

"Donna?" She looked in the direction of the voice, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Hey, gramps." She offered. His blue eyes met hers, concern showing on his features.

"Everything alright, sweetheart?" Sylvia was now looking at her as well, hands on her hips. Donna wanted to shrink into the chair. She pushed it back with thud, making eye contact with the older man.

"Wanna go to the hill?" He responded by pushing open the back door, which Donna was quick to retreat through. She trudged through the grass without looking back, listening to her Grandfather's footsteps trail behind her.

There was nothing really extraordinary about the hill. A few rocks were scattered around the base of it, long, unkempt grass blowing in the breeze. It was her safe haven when she couldn't cope with the noise of the place she called home. A place where she could be something more than what she thought she was, where she could be... herself.

She sat amongst the pink flowers, staring off into the night sky with a sigh. Wilf sat beside her without saying a word. A sudden snarl caught her off guard. Standing in a flurry of motion, she strained her eyes to look off through the clear night. She could see smoke rising and felt her heart practically stop.

 _Had he..._

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Wilf finally asked, moving to stand beside her as she tried desperately to see where The Doctor was, and if it was anywhere close to the smoke. "Donna..." She let her arms fall to her sides.

"I've got- I've got this-" She tried to figure out what to call him for a moment, struggling to find a suitable word to describe The Doctor. After a moment of hesitation, she made up her mind. "Friend... And he's in a whole heck of a lot of trouble." Wilf chuckled.

"Ohh! It's a man!" Donna rolled her eyes.

"No, not-" She hesitated. "He's not exactly... human..." When she didn't get a response, she elaborated. "He's..." She broke into nervous laughter. "He's a dragon." Wilf looked at her quizzically.

"Does he happen to be brown with a scruffy mane by any chance?" Donna froze.

"What?"

"Blue stripes on his neck?" Wilf went on. "White underbelly? Eyes you could get lost in?" Donna nodded.

"That's him, but ho-"

"Met him once." Donna chanced a look in his direction to find him staring at the stars with a lost expression. "I was out, part of the war against the dragons, you know the one... I'd been pretty badly injured and was sprawled out near a creek. That's when I saw him." He chuckled slightly. "I thought he'd make an easy snack of me, but instead he asked me a question." He paused for a few moments, as if he could see the dragon sitting with him. "He asked me how many people I'd killed." He sighed, nearly laughing. "I told him I hadn't killed a single soul. He nodded and opened his mouth. I thought I was going to die that day."

"What happened?" She asked quietly.

"He congratulated me and left. I was a lucky man. If I had ended a life, I suspect he would've ended mine..."

"That sounds a lot like him." Donna looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "I hardly even know 'im." She slowly sat down in the grass, Wilf joining her as she laid on her back and took in the dazzling starscape. "I'm still trying though. Jus' tryin' to help the kingdom. Adam can't have good intentions..."

"What happened?" Donna closed her eyes.

"What didn't happen?" The light of the sky cast a calming light across the world below, oblivious to the turmoil happening on the ground. "The whole bloody kingdom's a mess, or, rather, it will be if nobody stops Adam the idiot."

"So why don't you?"

"He's got the whole kingdom under his thumb..." She slowly started to shake her head. "It's hopeless."

"Not like you to give up, little-miss-stubborn!" She sighed exasperatedly.

"Gramps, I can't-"

"Says who?" He challenged. She bit back a witty remark in favor of actually thinking about what her Grandad had said. Why couldn't she try to help?

Sure, it would be dangerous, reckless, and more than a bit stupid, but... Could she really just stand idly by? Watch as her friends were picked off one by one?

"You-You're right..." She opened her eyes. "It's true. I-I" Her mind raced. "I can help, can't I?" She stood. Wilf grinned up at her.

"That's my Donna." She was suddenly struck with a thought.

"I should stay here. Chances are, if they come looking for me, they'd check here first." Wilf nodded.

"Good plan." She started pacing, the fact that she was powerless to do anything slowly sinking in. She desperately tried to ignore it, but it was becoming more and more evident with each passing second.

She was banking on a dragon coming through for her. A bloody dragon! A dragon, might she add, that she had only met twice, the second encounter spent mostly in his clutches before she scampered off into the woods like a coward.

 _Coward, but alive._

A small voice pointed out.

"I'm going for a walk. If I don't come back, they've probably found me."

"Donna?" She turned back to him. He offered her one of his typical kind smiles. "Stay safe. Your mother will have my hide if you go missing on my watch." Her lips quirked upward.

"Will do." He gave her a quick salute before returning to watch the stars through the smoky haze.

She smiled fondly before beginning the trek down the hill, keeping a sharp eye out for anyone, or anything out in the bushes. Every time something moved in the bushes her breath would hitch and her heart would hammer against her ribs in a frenzy before she could convince herself that it was nothing.

That, of course, was before she heard a pair of voices. Her eyes widened, frantically scanning the beaten path in the low light from the rising sun. She ducked behind a tree as she tried to calm her breathing, hoping desperately it was too quiet for whoever was walking along the trail to hear.

She strained her hearing to try and make out what they were saying.

"Are you sure she'll be here?"

 _Amy..._

She risked sticking her head from between the leaves. Two dark shadows were walking briskly in her direction, their heads turning at every sound.

"No, but it's worth a shot." Martha's voice cut through the trees. She needed no further encouragement, stepping out of her hiding place and into plain view of anyone who would happen to be walking the trail.

"Amy?" She called, cautiously edging her way closer. Silence greeted her for a few seconds, then-

"Donna?" Amy's head appeared in her vision, nervous eyes connecting with hers. Her face broke into a wide grin. "You're alright!"

"You're here!" Martha was quick to follow behind her, relief plain to see on her face.

"What happened?" The pair immediately sobered, sharing an uncomfortable look.

"We'll explain on the way, but we have to move." Donna felt a wave of nervousness wash over her.

"On the way where?"

"The tower."

She trailed behind her two friends, chancing one last look behind her at the hill.

 _What have you gotten yourself into?_

* * *

Clara was surprised she hadn't worn a groove into the stone floor from all the pacing she'd been doing. Her guard's eyes watched her intently, his brown irises tracking her movements from one end of the cell to the other. She kept her head down, the pain in her ankle becoming greater and greater with each step she took.

She could practically hear Martha chiding her for putting so much pressure on it, but sitting still made her feel so bloody useless. She could walk about four steps in either direction, four gray walls closing in on her as restlessly put one foot in front of the other. After all, what else could she do?

"Are you going to keep on walking?" He asked innocently. She shot a glare in his direction, trying not to notice how bloody attractive he was.

"Nothing else to do." She growled, kicking at the stones. "Just waiting." He frowned.

"For what?"

"For whatever comes next." Her ankle suddenly twisted beneath her, sharp daggers of pain digging deep into her heel. She grit her teeth, stifling a yelp of pain as she limped over to the wall, slumping against it in a heap.

"You alright?" He asked nervously, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Fine." She gasped, clutching it close to her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut tight and bit her lip, feeling hot tears prick at her eyelids. The door clanged open with a resounding crash.

"Let me take a look?" His kind eyes met hers.

"Fine." She snapped, grudgingly shifting her weight and allowing him to kneel next to her throbbing ankle. Gently, he lifted her foot, Clara taking a sharp breath of air when he shifted her foot.

"You need to get that wrapped." He observed. He stood, pacing over to the cell door and letting it swing open. "I'll be back soon."

"What's your name?" She called after him, immediately wishing she had kept her mouth shut. He grinned in a way that made her heart melt.

"Danny. Danny Pink." She waved goodbye to him, lowering her hand and letting her head knock against the cold stone at her back. Blimey did she ever pick - quite possibly - the absolute worst time to develop a crush on someone- and it was her captor to boot. She groaned.

"Picked a bad time Danny Pink..." She mumbled. "Why couldn't you have walked into my life sooner?" Her eyes slid closed.

"Is this soon enough, sweetheart?" Drawled a male voice. She yelped, eyes snapping open and darting over to the door. A man leaned up against the bars of her cell, his sparkling blue eyes holding a somewhat amused expression, his chiseled jaw set.

"Who-"

"Harkness, Captian Jack Harkness."

"Are you with The Doctor?" He sighed, putting his hands up in the air.

"You got me." His grin stayed in place as he fought with the heavy lock, twirling an ornate key between his fingers. She frowned, words unsaid running through her head. Before she could question him, he swung the door open, gently setting the lock to the floor. "Now, you must be Clara."

"Yeah." She mumbled, shakily trying to stand. Jack frowned.

"You alright?" She shook her head, bracing herself on the wall and shuffling forward a few inches. Jack sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. She could see sweat dripping down his brow. "Martha'll get you fixed up." He reasoned, offering her his hand. She gingerly accepted it, his strong arms wrapping around her shoulders and helping her limp to safety.

"Martha's with you?" She asked, allowing herself a spark of hope. Jack grinned.

"Her, and Amy too." She tried to calm her racing heart.

"What about Rose?" His expression shifted, looking somewhat pained.

"We're trying." He murmured. The corners of her mouth quirked downwards in a frown.

"You don-"

"John's working on it." He growled. "In the meantime, I've gotta get you back in one piece, alright?" His voice was firm. She searched his face for answers, prompting a tired sigh, his arm leaving her shoulders to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Look. I don't know if any of this is going to work, alright? It's just-" He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. "We've gotta try. People are going to die if this doesn't work, the already unstable peace with the dragons is at risk, and to be honest, the whole damn kingdom is in turmoil as of right now."

Clara stared at the floor. "You're right. I just thought, dunno, it would get better now that we're doing something. But-" Her voice broke. "But it's gotten so much worse now that we're trying. Doing the right thing is just so bloody hard, you know?" His expression softened.

"I know." It sounded like he wanted to say more, but what was there to say? Clara felt hot tears prick at her eyes and swallowed hard past the lump in her throat. Their footsteps echoed around them in the silence, as if a thousand people walked around them.

The footsteps, however, didn't seem to match their shuffling strides. Clara froze. Jack followed suit, a question on his lips. She placed a finger over her lips, eyes darting around nervously.

Pounding steps raced toward them, the pair sharing a panicked look.

"Can you run?" Jack whispered.

"Not bloody likely." Clara shot back. Jack pulled back from her, and before she could protest, he proceeded to scoop her up in his arms-bridal style- and carry her down the winding corridors as fast as he could.

She twisted in his grip, throwing her head over his shoulder to try and catch a glance at their pursuer. A shadow appeared on the far wall, a man, by the looks of it. His arms pumped as he ran after them, the shadow growing larger on the wall until finally, she could make out who exactly was running after them.

Two things dawned on her in that moment.

The first thing was that it was John making his way down the corridor, his eyes connecting with hers.

The second thing was that he wasn't alone.

"RUN!" He shouted, his voice resonating from every corner of the winding passage. Jack tensed under her, needing no further encouragement, his muscles straining as he struggled to get them both to safety.

"Rose-" Jack managed to pant between heaving breaths. "Please tell me she was with him."

"No such luck." She responded, clutching his neck for dear life. He groaned, putting on another burst of speed.

"Who's chasing him?" Clara squinted to try and make out anything past the man in the leather jacket.

"Guardsmen, about five." Jack shifted his arms beneath her. A curse fell from his mouth. He rounded another corner, a set of stairs staring them down with a startling ferocity.

He threw himself up the flight of stairs, his legs wobbling and his breathing ragged. Clara's nerves clawed at her belly, every stumbling step he took just another reminder of how everything could go wrong in a matter of seconds.

They burst into the sunlight and broke for the trees, John catching up to them in a matter of seconds, the royal guard right on their tail.

"Where's Rose?" John and Clara made eye contact, the former Captian's eyes tired.

"I couldn't get to her. Got seen." He huffed. Clara chanced a glance backward.

Five men raced after them, swords brandished in their armor-clad hands, their eyes firmly locked on the trio.

"Have you got a plan?" The two men exchanged glances. Clara knew from experience that that couldn't be a good thing. Before she could call them out, however, she was being helped to her feet, standing between them with her arms draped over either of their shoulders. The two ran side by side, Clara dangling helplessly in the middle with her legs swinging wildly.

"Does this count?" John panted.

"I'd say so." She squeaked. They were moving much faster, and without armor weighing them down, they soon evaded capture once more. Heaving and out of breath, the two men slumped unceremoniously slumped next to each other at the base of a tree. Clara sat on a felled log, lightly massaging her sore ankle with her fingertips. John eyed her with concern.

"Ankle bugging you?" He asked between huge gulps of air. Clara nodded, more than a little bit tired of that question.

"Look, can one of you PLEASE explain what's going on?" Jack sighed. John frowned, avoiding her gaze.

"We'll explain when we get to the tower," Jack replied. John mumbled an agreement. She stretched her legs, feeling another twang from her ankle. She idly wished that she had waited for Danny to return. John suddenly looked up, wide eyed, scanning the treeline in silence.

"Hear that?" He questioned. Jack and Clara both frowned, slowly turning their heads in the direction they had come from. Clara was about to ask what exactly they were listening for when the sound of hoofbeats began to thunder in her head. She leapt to her feet, instantly regretting the quick movement, her ankle protesting by sending shooting pains up her leg. She bit her cheek, trying not to cry out.

She hit the ground and scrambled behind a few bushes, her throbbing heart and ankle both serving as annoyances. Jack and John were beside her in an instant and she reckoned she could hear their hearts pounding of her own would quiet down for a few moments.

The hooves slowed to a trot, the noises of a horse huffing and armor clinking Her body froze when she realized who exactly had pursued them. His feet hit the ground mere inches away from their hiding spot.

They paced closer before stopping.

"Clara? I know you and the other two idiots are here." It called.

 _Danny..._

She shifted her weight, feeling Jack grab her wrist and hold her in place.

"Can we trust him?" He hissed. Clara hesitated. Gently, she peeled Jack's grip off of her wrist, stumbling to get to her feet. Hesitantly, she stepped forwards.

"Hey, Danny." She mumbled, a weak smile gracing her features. "I-" She was cut off when he took a step toward her, gently grabbing her arm.

"Let me fix your ankle, yeah?" She nodded meekly, slumping back onto the gnarled stump she had designated as hers. He began to wrap a strip of cloth around it, applying pressure where necessary, tightly binding it in the ratty fabric. He tied a quick knot before his gaze met hers.

"Do you really want the kingdom to fall apart like this?" She asked. He sighed, puffing out his cheeks and letting his arms fall to his sides.

"No." He finally answered. "I've seen the way everyone's been treated, and it's not right." She took a shaky breath.

"Right." A branch snapped from behind her, and she could tell without turning that Jack and John had risen to their feet.

"Welcome to the team, Danny, was it?" Jack asked, his tone even and challenging. Fear shone in his dark eyes, his mouth gaping open slightly.

"What the hell is going on?" He croaked. John paced around to her front, the ferns bending under his weight.

"We," He stated matter-of-factly. "Are a team of rebels, if you like, and we're going to save this entire forsaken kingdom, got a problem with that?" Danny seemed at a loss for words.

"I'd think really long and hard about the answer if I were you," Jack growled, his fists clenched. Danny finally opened his mouth.

"I'm in. What's happening?"

"We'll explain once we get there, the rest of the group should be alright, if everything goes according to plan that is..." The four of them set off without another word passing between them. The tension was so thick, Clara doubted that even The Doctor would be able to bite through it with his huge teeth.

She just hoped desperately that everyone would make it out unscathed.

A little voice inside of her told her that it would be more than extremely lucky if that was true.

* * *

"DAMN IT!" Rose's fists connected with the cold walls of her cell, hot tears trailing down her cheeks as she tried to gain control of her emotions. How could everything go so wrong?

She took a shaky breath, slumping down beside her mother in a heap, angrily kicking the bricks below her. "We were so close!"

The face of John surfaced in her memory, his cheeky grin sparking hope in her chest. He fiddled with the lock, quietly explaining that Jack had gone off to find Clara and that he was to take her back to the tower. She could've kissed him.

In her hope, she had failed to see the shadows on the wall behind him. Failed to notice the clinking of armor. At least, not until it was too late to even try and warn him. He noticed her change in expression at once, his confused gaze slowly straying from the lock and to the corridor yawning beside him. His fingers found the bars.

"I'll come back for you, I promise." With that, he had dashed off, five armed men hot on his tail.

Rose buried her head in her hands, wiping tears away as well as she could. More bloody hopeless than ever. Jackie didn't speak, but really, what was there to say?

The Doctor was in chains, sentenced to death because he had a kind soul.

Clara may or may not have been rescued, though she was injured.

Amy, Martha, and Donna had disappeared, and to be honest, Rose hoped they were far, far away from all of the problems that seemed to plague them all.

Jack and John could be dead.

And what was she? Oh yeah. Completely and utterly useless. She hung her head, blonde hair hanging in shambles across her face. She bit her lip, nearly drawing blood as she worried herself sick. She stood again and began to pace the length of her cramped quarters.

Six steps forward.

Six steps back.

She wrung her hands behind her back, hoping against all hopes that maybe, just maybe, John really would come back for her. He had certainly seemed sure of himself, with his determined gaze and grit teeth.

Six steps forward.

Still, she didn't even know where he was, or if he was even alive for that matter.

Six steps back.

She huffed out a breath, nervously gripping her hair tightly behind her head, letting it messily fall over her shoulders. The lock still seemed to be completely in place, the cold metal glaring at her from the other side of the thick steel bars. She groaned.

"Rose?" She glanced over her shoulder, Jackie's soft gaze meeting hers. "You alright?" She shook her head numbly. Jackie sighed. "Is the lock somewhat undone?" She asked, a hopeful undertone lacing her words.

"No." Rose resumed pacing, a gnawing fear in her gut causing her hands to tremble.

Six steps forward.

She wished she could do anything other than wait.

Six steps back.

 _Maybe..._

She turned her focus to the lock and shakily slid her fingers between the bars, the steel cold on her hands. Carefully, she gave the lock a gentle tug, the mechanism creaking in protest. She twisted it back and forth. It didn't even fall remotely close to being open. She took a step back, one hand finding the stone around her neck, nervously running her fingers over it.

"Rose, it's not going to give." Rose ignored her, grabbing the lock again, fiddling with it, twisting it this way and that, desperately trying to-

 **Click.**

She stepped back from the lock in surprise, the heavy clang of it hitting the ground surprising her. A wide grin broke across her face, her heart hammering away in her chest as though it planned to break her ribcage clean in half.

"What the hell?" Jackie breathed, moving to stand next to her daughter. "How did yo-"

"I don't know." She managed to get out. "I have no idea." She smiled anyway. Who really cared? It was open! "This is our chance!" Her spirit soared. "C'mon!" She let the door fall open, already daydreaming of meeting up with _her_ Doctor.

She blinked.

Where had that thought come from?

He was a dragon, it wouldn't-

She pulled herself away from that train of thought, albeit, grudgingly. She couldn't be crushing on a dragon. Surely.

"Rose, I can't." Rose turned to face her mother, questions sitting on the tip of her tongue. Jackie grabbed her hands. "I need to stay here, this is your fight. I'm going to be needed in case something-" She trailed off. Rose could tell she was trying to fight back tears. "In case something goes wrong, this kingdom needs to stay upright." She gave Rose's hands a squeeze. "I'll stay safe, I promise. But you've gotta do the same."

"I'll try." Jackie's gaze locked onto hers.

"Promise me!" Rose wrapped her arms around her mother's shoulders, holding her as though she would slip from her fingers.

"I promise." She choked out. The two stayed wrapped up together for a few moments more, Rose finally pulling away and reaching for the door. "I'll come back for you." She promised. Jackie smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes.

"You do that." With that, Rose hastily made her way up the corridor, though not before setting the lock back in place. If she hadn't been so wrapped up in leaving, she might have noticed the golden light that slipped from the keyhole like a tendril of smoke, drifting lazily down the corridor, and out of sight.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Rory whispered, pretending to inspect the muzzle for what had to be the billionth time. "You want me to go along with a plan, that you can't tell me?" The Doctor's ear twitched, earning a glare from Adam.

 _I need you to think it's real._

He tried to explain.

 _If they see through it, we're both as good as dead._

The Doctor could tell Rory was incredibly confused with his plan, which to be honest, was a completely rational thing to be. He sighed heavily, tail twitching agitatedly under the restraints. Rory suddenly looked up from the ground, a nervous frown tugging at his lips.

"Am I even going to survive? It's just that whenever Amy wanted me to do something I wouldn't like, she'd just explain it as we went..." It was obvious that he was trying to hide his fear. The Doctor closed his eyes, sending a calming wave of thoughts in the human's direction.

 _Rory, I can't promise anything. But if all goes according to plan, you'll be completely safe._

Rory bit his lip, taking a few deep shuddering breaths through his teeth.

"What's gotten into you?" The Doctor had to repress a snarl when Adam addressed Rory, the man keeping a handle on the hilt of his sword as he turned to face the would-be ruler of the kingdom. That is, if The Doctor's plan didn't work. A smug wormed its way onto Adam's face.

"Nervous?" Rory sighed.

"A little..." He admitted.

 _You'll be fine. You're doing great so far!_

The Doctor reassured him, trying to help Rory conquer his fears. Adam smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes.

"Worried about 'ol scaly there?" The Doctor growled in warning. Adam laughed coldly. "Let me tell you a little secret, alright?" Rory nodded mutely, The Doctor's gaze following them as they paced over to one of the gnarled oaks draped in chains. He watched as Adam reached behind it, pulling a beat-up rucksack into the light with a flourish. "Know what this is?" He questioned with a leer.

A chill ran down The Doctor's spine. Dark energy seemed to pulsate from whatever the pack concealed.

"No sir," Rory mumbled, his eyes downcast. Slowly, Adam drew what appeared to be a spear from the pack, handling it like a parent holding a child. Dread built in the pit of The Doctor's stomach.

The unforgiving black tip glowed with a purple sheen, contrasting against the light tone of wood used for the pole. Realization hit him like a smack across the face.

"How about now?" He purred, pointing the sharp end in Rory's direction. The Doctor snarled.

"I-I have no idea!" Rory stammered, taking a few stumbling steps back. Adam snorted his contempt.

"Typical." He then turned to The Doctor, letting the wickedly sharp stone rest on his snout. "How about you, dragon?" The Doctor bared his teeth, hissing a word from between them.

"Slaughtercrystal." He snarled. A few of the archers stumbled back when he spoke, a few drawing their weapons in fear. Adam grinned.

"My, you're chatty today. And yes, you'd be right." He withdrew the spear, idly twirling it between his fingers. "Slaughtercrystal, from the enchantress River Song." He spat her name as though it created a foul taste in his mouth. "She cursed the dratted thing. It'll break upon its first use."

"That's because she knew how corrupted it is, can't you see that?" Images of death flashed behind his eyes, the dying screams of other dragons echoing in his ears. "It's not right." Adam glared at him.

"You're going to be on the receiving end, wyrm!" The Doctor froze. "That's what I thought." Adam wrapped the spear back in the ratty bag, returning it to its place behind the oak. "Oh, it's going to be quite the spectacle." His features contorted into a twisted smile. "Quite the spectacle indeed..." With that, he sauntered over to The Doctor's other side, the archers all eyeing him warily.

 _A classic dragon-killing weapon..._

He growled, hot anger rolling off him in waves.

Rory didn't respond, prompting a gentle,

 _Are you alright?_

"Could be better..." Rory murmured. "So could you." He observed, gesturing to The Doctor's bloodied ear.

 _It's not that bad. Just bloody._

Rory didn't look too convinced, but decided to leave it alone, to The Doctor's relief. It honestly wasn't worth worrying about. It would heal in an hour or so anyway. He watched as Rory began to pace, his steps unsure, shaky even. The Doctor couldn't help but feel sorry for him. After all, this whole heaping mess was technically his fault.

"What was that thing?" Rory asked quietly. "I mean, it's a slaughter crystal but what-"

 _I honestly thought they'd all been destroyed._

The Doctor admitted.

 _They're incredibly rare and incredibly dangerous. It's the most painful death imaginable for anyone or anything. One cut, one nick even, and you're dead._

"So he could've killed me, just then."

 _He wouldn't waste it like that. No offense, but you don't have any scales..._

"Sword boy, come here!" Snapped Adam, interrupting their conversation. Rory looked up nervously.

 _That's you._

The Doctor prompted. Rory slowly paced over to his wing and out of sight. The Doctor's ears swiveled, locking in on the sound of their voices.

"Yes?"

"When we haul this beast into the square, you're going to be standing directly in front of him. I'm going to walk a few paces ahead of you and hold the rope." The Doctor nearly smiled. That was just going to make the plan that much easier.

"What am I here for?" A worried undertone lit his words. The Doctor reckoned he could hear Adam's smile.

"If he decides to eat someone, it'll be the man closest to him. Namely, you."

 _I promise I won't._

He tried to assure him, sending another wave of calming feelings his way. He hoped Rory couldn't tell how he was partially lying through his teeth. Partially.

 _You can do this. Just keep it together._

"Okay." The Doctor could tell his casual tone was forced. "When are we leaving?" Adam answered without hesitation.

"Noon, and not a moment later."

"Right." Rory agreed. "Noon." The Doctor felt a surge of hope at that information, along with a building feeling of dread. After all, if anything went wrong, it could have some... rather unpleasant end results- for both of them. His gaze drifted skywards.

The sun shone brightly, peeking through the clouds in a carefree manner, the day nearly halfway gone. Noon was creeping up on him, the sun rising higher and higher, and his confidence sinking lower and lower.

He didn't want to speak to Rory, not willing to He brushed up against him mentally a few times, just making sure he was alright, hiding his doubts as well as he could. Rory didn't have many barriers, an open vortex of emotion swirling inside his head. Hopes, fears, worries, secrets, they all twisted around each other in a dizzying spiral, so brilliantly human. So brilliantly confusing.

"Archers!" Adam growled. "Untie him. We're moving now." The Doctor's heart rate increased heavily.

"What happened to noon?" Rory questioned nervously.

"The execution is at noon, we're leaving sooner." The Doctor rolled his eyes. Bloody typical.

"Right..." Rory mumbled, moving to help the archers with the chains. He refrained from stretching out, staying down and letting the chains lifelessly coil around his sides, the unforgiving steel links falling uselessly into the dirt. His wings rustled in the breeze, the twang of bows being aimed at him ringing in his ears.

He sighed heavily.

"Stand!" Adam commanded, The Doctor pausing to shoot a death glare in his direction before grudgingly rising to his feet, the white bandage tied flimsily around his white paw sticking out amongst brown scales. Dried blood was visible through the strip of cloth, his sharp claws digging into grass beneath him. His tail bristled along with his mane.

Rory clasped the chain connected to his muzzle with shaky hands.

 _It's going to be alright._

He could tell Rory didn't believe it. He was having trouble believing it himself. The Doctor's head hung low to the ground, his fearsome gaze trained on Adam, awaiting the next order. Feral anger sparked in his chest and he found himself realizing that he could kill them all in a snap.

It would be so easy to just become the beast they thought he was.

It would be even easier to burn everything he knew to the ground.

Rose's face surfaced in his thoughts. Her eyes burned into his head, tears glistening in the corners of them, a sad smile on her features. A lone tear trailed down her cheek. He recognized it instantly.

 _After **I** told her **I** killed everyone. That **I** was a monster._

His hearts ached. But then, she looked up at him defiantly, her gaze determined. She hadn't given up on him. He'd be selfish to let himself become a creature of death and destruction. She had given him a second chance, and that wasn't going to slip away. She was the only thing keeping him from murdering everyone in that damn clearing, and he knew deep down that she'd never be able to forgive him completely.

But she forgave him anyway.

She didn't care how complete it was, she had just wanted her friend back.

And with time, he knew she'd see him without the stain his atrocities had left.

He longed for that day in a way that made him question a lot about himself. After all, he was a dragon, not a human for Rassilon's sake.

Rory gently tugged on the restraints, pulling him back into reality.

 _Are we going?_

Rory didn't answer, watching as Adam waltzed around The Doctor, handing out chains and checking weapons. The Doctor's ears and eyes stayed trained on him the whole time. He walked as though he was in complete control of the situation. Oh, how wrong he was.

"FORWARD!" He commanded. "We have to be at the square at noon exactly!" The Doctor took a shuffling step forwards, followed by another, and another. His tail swished behind him, powerful wings locked into place on his back, though not restrained.

At every step, he felt the amount of tension rise, every move he made sending waves of fear through the assembled humans. All, he noticed, except for Adam. His left ear flopped to the side.

Gingerly, he extended his mind to Adam, not wanting to be too conspicuous, but able to glean some information. He recoiled so fast from the man's head he was surprised Adam didn't shoot him a glare. Rory noticed him flinch.

"What?" He whispered. The Doctor didn't respond, still in complete and utter shock. That wasn't possible, at least, not for a human. His head ached.

Dark magic radiated off of Adam, so strong, he was uncertain of how he had missed it. The man didn't seem to be aware of the turmoil inside of his own head, the darkness radiating from his every pore. His thoughts, from what The Doctor had observed, were circular.

 ** _I am going to slay the dragon._**

 ** _I am going to seize the kingdom._**

 ** _I am going to marry Rose Tyler._**

 ** _I am going to stay loyal to myself._**

Just that. Nothing more. He hid his worry as well as he could, focusing on how far out of the clearing they had managed to walk. He forced himself to wait until they were deep into the forest to make his move.

 _Brace yourself._

Rory didn't have time to ask why, his chain suddenly being jerked away with a huge burst of force. The Doctor reared up, flaring his wings to their fullest extent and taking care to swipe his tail across the archers, knocking them flat on their backs and rendering them useless.

He opened his mouth.

Wide.

The muzzle strained under the force of his jaws before snapping into two pieces, tumbling to the ground and sending up a cloud of dust from the impact. He roared, Adam and Rory covering their ears against the sound.

Then, arching his neck back and keeping his mouth yawning wide, he lunged forward, encasing Rory in his huge jaws in one bite, much to the horror of the archers assembled. Adam's eyes locked with his.

Muffled shouts resonated from between his lips.

"YOU PROMISED! YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T-"

The Doctor knew he had to be quick in the next part of his plan, and so, with a twinge of regret, he jerked his head back, and swallowed.


	9. New Scars

**Back again!**

 ***Checks word count***

 ***Spits all over laptop***

 **Over 8,000 words for this chapter! That's insane! I did quite the double take when I saw that number, that's for darn sure! Anyway, I need to drop a warning up here. Amy does swear a bit more than normal in this chapter. Sorry. It just kind of happened. I love to hear from you all, so leave a review with any feedback or ideas. I'll be sure to read them! I won't keep you any longer.**

 **As usual, you've waited far too long for this chapter.**

 **Thanks for the patience!**

* * *

Rory hardly had time to cry out, or even blink before a set of sharp white teeth crashed together around him. In a flurry of disgusting squelching sounds, he was flipped onto his front, the vast expanse of The Doctor's throat yawning wide ahead of him. He was vaguely aware of someone shouting.

It took a moment to realize that it was him.

His brain struggled to process the gravity of the situation, his legs flailing uselessly in an effort to gain traction.

The catlike tongue beneath him shifted, forcing him closer to the fleshy tunnel ahead of him. He squirmed and thrashed even harder, sheer panic coursing through his veins as he struggled to get free, the rough muscle scraping at his chest plate as though-

 _Oh, God..._

 _Am I being tasted?_

The unforgiving jaws of the dragon stayed firmly locked in place around his ankles, forcing him to do nothing but watch the pulsating tube of flesh, cavelike and cavernous. One of the teeth near his ankles had a red stain on the back of it.

It looked fresh.

Strands of saliva clung to his arms, his face thoroughly dampened. Hot blasts of air raced past him as he tried his best to get free of the terrible white teeth. Yet at the same time, pressing up against them to try and escape the darkness and fire of its throat.

The dragon's coarse tongue suddenly arched up, gravity changing and the grip on his legs disappearing entirely. He squeaked as he was forced closer to the beast's throat, the heat becoming unbearable. He struggled to breathe, his hands shaking uncontrollably.

He could see something red dribbling past him, coating the tongue with its crimson tinge and dripping down the throat ahead of him in a river of foul liquid, mingling with the saliva that surrounded him.

This couldn't be how it ended. The story of Rory Williams couldn't end like this. But he realized with growing horror that it very well may be it for him. That's what he got for trusting a dragon.

The darkness surrounding him would be suffocating if bursts of flame didn't shoot from the dark hole of the creature's throat, illuminating the pink fleshy walls and casting an eerie light from farther down the slimy tunnel. He clung in vain to The Doctor's promise.

"You-You promised." He choked past the lump in his throat. "You said you wouldn't eat me." The latter half of the sentence was lost in a whimper.

The Doctor didn't respond.

Somehow, Rory wasn't surprised.

The tongue jolted again and he yelped as he was forced headfirst toward the tunnel, the heat intensifying the closer he got. With a final sickening gulp of a sound, he was pinned up against the back wall of flesh, his arms sinking into it as though it was a pillow. The tension holding him in place gave way and the tongue pushed firmly at his legs, muscles both pushing him in and pulling him down and into the throat of a dragon.

Down and down and down...

Slick noises of the dragon's muscles working around him finally began to cease. He gasped before being forced through a knot of muscle before sliding to a halt. He flipped over so he was in a more natural position, his legs pulled up against his chest, the armor he wore rendered completely useless. All he could hear was the sound of his frantically pounding heart and the steady throb of The Doctor's twin ones.

Slime coated him.

Choked sobs clawed their way up his throat.

Heat seeped through him and he found himself idly wondering if he would be incinerated rather than digested by the creature he had thought to be trustworthy.

What if Amy ends up down here too?

The latter thought scared him. She didn't even know how much he loved her. She didn't even know that he would willingly be eaten again so long as she never had to be. His eyes slowly began to adjust to the dim lighting, the flesh around him pulsing and dripping in a manner that made everything seem all the more hopeless.

He braced himself for either being burned or slowly dissolved, drawing his arms up to his chest and curling into a tight ball. He could feel liquids sloshing over him and the heat of flames on his back every time the creature exhaled, leaving him stranded between feeling incredibly hot, shivering, cold and wet.

He took another shaky breath.

He almost wished The Doctor had just done him in with those deadly teeth of his.

Surely that would've been kinder.

Or... Would it?

He wasn't burning in the slightest, nor was he feeling anything in his exposed areas of flesh. Surely the juices in the belly of a dragon would've started to eat away at him by now. Everything around him suddenly began to lurch from side to side, the sudden motion scaring him to immobility for a few moments more.

He could hear wingbeats over the tremendous noise of the dragon's lungs and hearts.

 _Flying_.

He realized.

 _We're flying now._

His racing heart slowly began to calm itself, though he knew it wasn't due to the dragon he was currently trapped inside.

He was becoming aware of a few key things.

For one, the chamber (other than him) was completely empty save for (oddly enough) a few scattered coins, not a trace of the beast's last meal in sight. As for another thing, The Doctor was completely silent. Ever since he had decided to help, it had been a constant barrage of feelings and thoughts, but now, his head was quiet.

He shakily let his arms fall away from his face. There was no fire. His arms were still attached.

His leg was bleeding, rather heavily it would seem.

He blinked.

 _That is not good._

He managed to think, his stomach twisting unpleasantly.

Red blood mingled with the dragon's bodily fluids, his leg thoroughly coated in a disgusting mixture of the stuff. He tugged at the armor encasing him, working for his hands under the slobbery leg braces and yanking them free. A strangled gasp escaped his lips. His heart stuttered in his chest.

 _VERY not good._

A deep cut lined the back of his calf, starting right below his knee and trailing down to his heel, angry red spurting from it in bursts. The pain hadn't started to set in yet, and he thanked whatever Gods would hear him for that fact.

Shock would buy him time.

Time to do what, he didn't know.

His leg was starting to go white around where the cut was, the edges puckering like a grotesque pair of lips. He clenched it tightly, his hands becoming coated in his own coppery blood as the dragon flew onwards. He tore a piece of cloth from the tattered shirt he always wore, wrapping it as tightly as he could around the slit in his flesh.

He could see it starting to become soaked through with crimson.

Shuddering sobs shook his frame as he swayed from side to side, trying to stop the blood that just kept pouring from between his fingers as though it were being pumped.

 _Martha'd know what to do._

A small voice reasoned. He gripped his leg tighter, his hands sliding around on the slippery surface of his skin.

 _Martha isn't here to help, and I hope she doesn't end up with me._

That was true. From the pulsating pinkish walls and the strands of saliva dripping past his face, tinged pink from his blood and foaming slightly on his armor, to the cacophony of noises that were the dragon's innards, it was an unpleasant place to be, to say the least.

His throat formed a tight knot and he tried to keep himself together, one of his hands falling from his leg and brushing against something distinctly sharp and... metallic...

His eyes widened.

His fingers closed around the hilt of his sword, shakily drawing it from the scabbard and letting it rest against his good leg. He didn't want to use it. He hardly knew if he'd be able to lift it, let alone use it to slit open the flesh that encased him.

Well, that wasn't quite true.

He knew deep down, if any harm- other than the huge gash - came to him inside of The Doctor's belly, that he wouldn't hesitate to bury it up to its handle in the dragon's insides. But until then, he was powerless to do anything but wait for the dragon to make its next move.

He buried his face in his arms again.

Everything was ending.

And he was smack dab in the middle, whether he liked it or not.

* * *

Mickey Smith was in a foul mood.

The worst of the worst. The lowest of the low.

He clenched his fists tightly, his head down and his feet scuffed the fallen leaves. He trudged through the valley without looking up, turning The Doctor's words over and over in his mind.

 _Look, these instructions are separate from the ones I'm giving the others because I need you to do something for me. I need you to go to the tower and look at the book, the beaten one. Ask it for advice, find whatever you can. Anything to help, anything at all._

 _Anything relating to dragon trials, and especially regarding Adam Mitchell. Just- Just be careful._

He gave the ground a particularly vicious kick.

He knew why he had been given a different job than the others, oh yes. This was the job for someone that the dragon didn't think much of. His clenched fists swung by his sides.

He'd prove him wrong.

He'd prove them ALL wrong.

Of course, to do so, he'd have to complete The Doctor's task. And to do that, he'd have to actually reach the tower. He could already see the towering spire, piercing the air with its unforgiving point, chipped red tiles coating the peak.

He pressed onwards through the thick foliage. His helmet lay forgotten in the bushes, the sun beating down on his uncovered head. He stood at the building's base, staring upwards at the one window, the curtains fluttering in the near-nonexistent breeze.

His feet carried him around the base of the structure, his heart sinking low in his chest.

 _No door..._

He mentally slapped himself for not knowing that one tiny detail, pacing back around to the side containing the window.

It seemed to taunt him.

 _Well Micks, only one way left to go._

He grit his teeth, laying one hand against the uneven bricks. Gnarled vines twisted around the structure, bright leaves contrasting with the weatherbeaten state of the tower itself.

Huge cracks ran up the bricks, spiderwebbing their way up the cold stone walls.

He steeled his resolve and scrabbled for a handhold on the bricks, his feet kicking at the dirt before finally being hauled up with the rest of him. He clambered ever higher, nearly falling twice before hooking his arm over the window ledge and clambering into the window. His chest heaved, his limbs burning from the effort.

He stayed lying on the floor for a few moments, his cheek pressed up against the cobbles. Shakily, he rose to his feet.

The bed alone had to be worth more than everything he owned, lavish amounts of pillows stacked in a heap atop what appeared to be a feather mattress. He paced over to it, his eyes scanning the small, yet cozy, interior.

He, however, hardly noticed the stars, nor the crooked wardrobe, his gaze fixated on the weatherbeaten heap of pages. He gingerly picked it up and opened it.

 _Blank_.

He groaned, sinking onto the mattress and flopping onto his back, clutching the book in his hands. He tried to recall if the dragon had warned him of the sheer emptiness of the pages.

Something told him he shouldn't be surprised.

He frowned, the exact words of The Doctor finally revealing themselves in his memory.

 _Ask for advice._

He resisted the urge to fling the book against the wall, sitting upright and glaring at the brown cover.

"I wish you'd show me something." He growled. He thumbed through the pages once more and stifled a gasp.

 **What do you want to see?**

Was written atop every page, just that, and nothing more. His heart pounded, his hands shaky.

 _Right._

 _Magic book._

He swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. He struggled to form words, his tongue suddenly lead in his mouth.

"Show me any information on dragon trials and rebellions." The black ink on the pages faded. A wall of text appeared, the sheer size overwhelming. He brought it close to his face. The words seemed to turn to mush and dribble off the pages when he tried to make them out, letters and syllables blurring together in a haze of black ink.

He blinked.

The pages returned to their normal state. He scowled.

"Useful information." The book abruptly snapped shut. He yelped in shock, watching it tumble from his hands and onto the floor. "What the hell?" It flipped open, the pages flipping and fluttering madly.

 **That's not very nice.**

He laughed, though it was a choked sort of noise.

 _I'm arguing with a book. And I'm losing._

He laughed again, leaning forward and propping his chin on his hands. "Look, I'm sorry." He managed to get out. "I just need your help, alright?"

 **With what?**

He reached for it and deposited it on his lap.

"Look. You know Rose, right? Well, she's in trouble." The book didn't respond. "The Doctor's in trouble as well." He added as an afterthought.

 **The scaly one?**

"That'd be him." The pages became blank again. He waited for a moment before continuing with his story. "Adam's taken Rose prisoner, and last I saw, he was in chains."

 **Adam?**

"The kingdom's would-be ruler. He's gotten it into his head that Rose'll love him if he manages to slay the dragon." The book remained lifeless for a moment, just long enough to cause him to question himself. Finally, it responded.

 **I'll help you. Only because of them. They're quite the pair.**

With that, the pages became blank. Mickey just stared in silence for a few moments, letting it sink in. The semi-torn parchment stared back. Finally, he cleared his throat.

"Show me the information that's going to be most useful to me." The book, much to his relief, obliged.

 **Whoever kills the dragon at the execution is going to win the hand of the princess. Usually, the kingdom's ruler(s) would choose an appropriate suitor to carry out the act.**

 **The dragon's execution is to be held publicly, as not many get to see a beast of such great size and rarity. The weapon used is up to the executioner. The princess must witness the execution, otherwise, it is meaningless and the executioner won't gain her hand.**

Things were looking grim. His eyes scanned the pages, gleaning a few more snippets of information

 **Usually, a sorcerer of sorts would attend to keep the creature from harming anyone.**

 **The beast's hoard would be given to the dragons of Gallifrey, as stated in the agreement.**

He was jarred from his reading by a snap from the base of the tower. He jolted upright, the book sliding under the bed as a result of his sudden movement.

 _It's going to be mad..._

That thought was shoved into the far corner of his mind, panic engulfing him. Muffled voices, at least three, resonated through the cobbles in low hums.

His heart pounded sickeningly.

His gaze fell on the dilapidated wardrobe as a place to hide, one of the doors already hanging open in an inviting manner. He tried to take a deep breath, his attempt to calm down interrupted by the sound of someone trying to climb up the uneven bricks.

That did it.

Quick as a flash, he was up on his feet, practically throwing himself into the wardrobe, his armor clanking loudly, filling the silence with the sound of metal clashing with metal. He slammed against the door, throwing it open and stumbling into it. The door creaked shut behind him, engulfing him in darkness, save for the sliver of light beneath the heavy doors.

His own heartbeat seemed far too loud, his breathing soft and shallow. He bit his cheek to stifle a scream. He could hear something beginning to throw itself over the window ledge, the curtains tearing beneath the weight of whatever it was.

He held his breath.

A thud echoed through the room along with the tearing of more fabric, muffled curses reaching his ears through the wood. He strained his ears as the sound of footsteps shuffled towards him. He inhaled sharply.

The door creaked.

A thin strip of light shone across his face. Whoever was on the other side of the door shrieked and stumbled backward, tripping somewhere along the line and tumbling to the cold stone floor.

He sprang from the closet with a feral war-cry, his eyes alight with fear. He made eye contact with a fierce looking redhead before he barreled into her. The air left her lungs and she flew backward, her hair splayed around her shoulders. She groaned, shakily trying to stand, her pale fingers gripping one of the ornate bedposts. She clutched a knife in her shaking fingers.

Her fearful expression quickly turned to one of annoyance.

"Oh. It's you." She growled, rising to her feet and dusting herself off. She narrowed her eyes. "What're you doing here?" He opened his mouth, biting back a snarky comment.

"Researching." He mumbled. Amy, whom he finally recognized, had her back to him, pretty much ignoring the answer to her question. He watched her pace to the window and lean out over the ledge.

"MICKEY'S HERE!" She bellowed. Mickey paced over to her side and craned his neck over her shoulder.

The faces of Martha and Donna peered up at him curiously. He waved sheepishly and ducked his head as she hauled one leg over the window ledge. "Coming?" She asked, her knife now between her teeth.

He nodded mutely, confusion surfacing in his thoughts. Sure, he had seen her around, though he hardly knew her. In fact, he could say the same about practically their whole ragtag team, save for Rory and Jack.

Well...

That wasn't exactly true.

His heart flipped in his chest, just thinking about her sending a chill through his veins.

 _Oh bloody hell Micks, you're really in for it this time..._

He thought, watching Amy disappear from the window and join her on the ground. Her, with her dazzling smile and bravery beyond what many were capable of. Her, with her beautiful hair and knowledge beyond any man's. A nervous grin spread across his face.

The spell cast over him was instantly broken by the sound of Amy shouting at the window. "Oi, coming or what?" She snapped.

 _Right._

 _Gotta get down..._

He stared down at the dizzying drop below him, his heart that was so giddy moments before sinking to his shoes. It looked steep. VERY steep. A few jagged bricks stuck out at odd angles, seeming to reach for the thick trees surrounding the spiraling cylinder.

He let his hands rest against the ledge, leaning forwards a little. A warm breeze raced past him, and even though it was warm, it sent a chill down his spine. He grit his teeth, shoving any doubts to the corner of his mind. He could deal with those once he was safely on the ground, thank you very much.

He shakily crept forward, his throat suddenly tight, his breathing labored. He floundered on the ledge for a moment longer, though it seemed to stretch for a small eternity. His knees grazed the stone ledge. He braced himself on the arch above him.

"Oh, get on with it!" Donna prompted. He closed his eyes, trying without success to calm his racing heart and shaking hands.

He turned so he was facing the wardrobe once more and began to slowly lower his left foot. It scraped painfully against the bricks, a shrill shriek being emitted from his heavy armor. It brushed against a loose brick and he rested his weight upon it.

 _Okay._

 _One step._

 _One step is good._

He swung his right leg over next and let it rest on a slightly lower chip in the stone. His knuckles were white from gripping the overhang. His palms ached from dragging them across the dry stone. He let his left foot dangle again, feeling it connect with another foothold.

"You have to let go at some point!" His heart skipped a beat.

It was _her_.

 _She_ was talking to _him_.

The rational side of his brain screeched at him to get a move on already, but his knees felt like rubber. He wobbled, the spell once again broken by a cross shout from Amy.

"Get your skinny arse down here!" He winced. His right arm shakily trailed down to find another stable ledge, and another, and another.

Inch by painful inch, he was doing it.

He probably would've made it too, the keyword in that sentence being: probably.

"Who the hell are you!" He heard, able to see without looking that Amy's wickedly sharp knife was gleaming in her hands. He chanced a glance over his shoulder.

Four new bodies had entered the clearing, one of them wearing the gleaming crest of the Powell kingdom. Even from above, he could make out the two snarling wolves cast in silver. In fact, now that he thought about it, he could see quite a lot of details that he hadn't made out before.

He could see Amy's jaw drop. She was, in fact, holding her knife, though it appeared to be at her side which was... Worrying.

He could see that Clara (That was her name, wasn't it?) was hovering beside the strange man, though her eyes were trained on him.

He could even see Jack and John's faces, John's eyebrows raised and Jack's mouth gaping open.

That was when he realized.

He was falling.

Quite fast, it would seem. His vocal cords tangled into a knot as he plummeted to meet the ground below him, his eyes alight with terror.

He managed a small squeak before the wind was knocked out of him.

He hit the ground with a sickening thud. The world seemed to twist and swim before his eyes, bright spots beginning to obscure his vision. He heaved a shaky breath and tried to stagger to his feet.

His legs gave out from under him and he landed flat on his back, his chest heaving. And then, she was there. Her worried eyes connected with his, her hair hanging inches from his face.

"Oh God, are you alright?" She asked, kneeling beside him and placing a steady hand on his shoulder. He tried to rise again, gritting his teeth to try and stifle groans of pain. Martha pushed him back down. "No, don't stand." She cautioned.

"Alright." He wheezed.

"Is he going to be alright?" Asked a low voice. He weakly turned his head, a few blurry figures coming into focus. The man bearing the Powell crest was the one speaking, sweat dripping from his brow and into the beginnings of a beard on his chin. Amy regarded him nervously, the knife twirling in her fingers.

"We'll tell you, depending on whose side you're on." She warned, her heavy accent adding to the intimidation factor of her words. The tall man nodded without speaking another word. Martha's hand didn't leave his shoulder, her worried eyes looking him over from head to toe as she tried to gauge what was wrong with him.

"Who is he anyway?" She asked without looking up. "Move your arm." She added in a gentler tone. Mickey obliged, biting back another yelp of pain. She quickly let go. "Where does it hurt?"

"Shoulder." He muttered dryly. He tried not to make eye contact, certain that he'd make a fool of himself if their eyes met for more than a second at a time.

"His name's Danny." Clara cut in. "He wants to help." Amy shot a glare in his direction.

"How do we know we can trust him?" She spat.

"You are trusting a dragon." Jack pointed out. "This isn't too much of a stretch to make." John nodded his agreement.

"Besides, we need all the help we can get if we want to actually survive this." He mumbled under his breath. Nobody disagreed with that, the gravity of the situation sinking in like a ton of bricks in a lake.

"Well, I for one, think it's a good thing," Donna stated. "I mean, nobody actually knows he's on our side, right? He could spy for us."

"Rory can do that too," Amy argued. "Plus, he's cuter." Nobody noticed the blush that crept onto Clara's cheeks except for Mickey, though he brushed it off as a side effect from falling several feet from a window.

Martha's jaw tensed. "Look, we haven't really got much of a choice in the matter. He's already here." Her lips quirked upwards in a smile that made his heart melt. "And besides, if he's not trustworthy, we'll get The Doctor to eat him." Danny frowned.

"Who's The Doctor?"

"A dragon." They all responded in sync. Danny visibly paled. Mickey shakily tried to stand once more, clutching his arm as though it would fall off. He braced himself on the spiral of bricks, leaning heavily on his left leg.

Martha stayed at his side, which made walking all the more difficult, ready to catch him if he so much as wobbled. He flushed red. She didn't notice.

"You still haven't told me what the plan is." Donna reminded them.

"Me neither." Danny seconded. Nervous glances were shared around the circle, Jack finally breaking the silence.

"Alright. Well, the original plan was actually pretty straightforward. You two," He nodded in the direction of Amy and Martha. "Went to go get Donna. And we were supposed to get Rose and Clara." Donna frowned.

"So where-" John's expression turned stormy.

"We couldn't get to her." Donna shrank back.

"Oh." She said quietly. The sheer grim nature of John leeched off of him in waves, infecting the group of misfits.

"But," Jack said slowly, "She could still manage to get out." Amy let out a low whistle.

"The Doctor's gonna be pissed..." Mickey slowly let go of the wall and staggered close to the stranger. He awkwardly thrust his hand forward.

"I'm Mickey. Welcome to the team." Danny shook it.

"Thanks." The rest of the group murmured their hellos before breaking into a more serious conversation.

"Right, so The Doc's in a huge heaping mess of trouble, Rose is locked in the dungeon someplace, Adam- Is that his name?" Donna broke off. Martha nodded.

"That'd be him."

"Okay. As I was saying, Adam's trying to seize control of the kingdom, and we're the only ones who are bold enough to do anything. We're waiting on a dragon to arrive with Rory and tell us his master plan to make everything better, without him actually telling us said plan. Is that everything?"

"That pretty much sums it up," Jack admitted. Silence descended upon them, digging its sharp claws into their fragile hope. All of them couldn't help but doubt The Doctor's plan. Mickey's right side throbbed.

"This... Doctor..." All eyes turned to Danny. "Is he... Dangerous?" Donna wiggled her hand in a vague so-so motion.

"Technically. I mean, he's got the fangs and scales and fire, but he seems decent." Danny tilted his head.

"Has he hurt any of you? Eaten anyone?" Mickey shook his head even though doubts began to shadow his thoughts of the dragon they were all trusting.

"Not one of us." He confirmed. "Well..." He trailed off uncertainly. He didn't have to finish the sentence. They all knew exactly what he was going to say.

"Where are they anyway?" Martha asked uncertainly. Her hands twisted nervously behind her back and her voice wavered. Mickey's heart skipped a beat. He had just opened his mouth to try and reassure her when he heard it.

His mouth went dry.

Wingbeats echoed through the air, faint, but growing distinctly louder with each passing second.

"I think I know where they are." John deadpanned. They all turned in the direction of the noise. Mickey's stomach twisted into a knot of sheer nerves.

The brown speck on the horizon was growing at a rapid pace as the dragon hurtled towards them. Mickey swallowed nervously.

 _This is going to be a wild ride, Smith..._

 _A wild ride indeed..._

* * *

Amy's heart pummeled her ribcage as she raced to meet the huge beast, nearly tripping in her haste to reach the creature.

 _Please._

She begged to any God that would hear her.

 _Please please please let him be okay._

The wind from its wings buffeted her as its hind claws touched down with a sound like thunder. She barely noticed its size, looking in vain for the shape of Rory anywhere on its back.

Dust swirled in the air around its talons, his head pitching forwards to meet her, just inches from her nose. She didn't bat an eye. Her jaw clenched.

"Where is he?" She snarled, the knife in her hand quivering slightly as she spoke. A huge sigh drifted past the creature's black lips, its hot breath causing her hair to blow back. His mouth hung open, a sad warbling gurgle passing his lips.

She frowned. "That's not an answer." Their eyes met.

She could see her fearsome glare reflected back at her in his huge irises. Regret flashed in his. His ears were both twitching nervously, his mane standing on-end. His tail bristled. She took a step closer.

He snaked his head back.

"Doctor." She growled, her voice dangerously low. "Where's Rory?" He lowered his head again, his hot breath ghosting across her face. She stared into his cinnamon eyes, a dizzying swirl of emotions contained in the colors, though, guilt was a prominent one, surfacing above the others.

He huffed, smoke trickling from his nostrils. His body fell back and he sat upright on his haunches. A strand of saliva blew lazily from between his lips. She glared up at him, trying to keep the nervous quiver out of her voice. "Where is he!?"

He suddenly pitched his huge head forwards, his jaws flaring open to reveal pink insides. Amy stumbled back, the knife pointed at the beast as her heels slid into the marshy ground. She fell to her knees, her gaze meeting The Doctor's.

Gurgling and hacking noises rose from his throat, rolling around in his barrel-like chest before jerking their way past his lips. His eyes snapped closed, coughs shaking his reptilian frame. Amy staggered back and into Martha's arms.

The dragon continued convulsing. No fire flashed in his throat, his mouth remaining open at an odd angle as he proceeded to keep choking. His dry heaving suddenly ceased. His eyes widened. He jerked his head forward again and began shaking it from side to side. His jaws opened wider, giving Amy a clear view down his cavernous throat.

Well, an almost clear view.

Her heart leaped into her throat.

A human arm blocked The Doctor's airway, fumbling weakly against the dragon's huge teeth. She felt like she had been punched in the gut.

The dragon started hacking again, the unfortunate soul trapped inside of its slobbery jaws flailing as it tried to get a grip on the slick muscles surrounding it. The Doctor seemed intent on getting whoever it was out of his mouth, the huge tongue lolling from one side of the gigantic maw to the other.

"Oh my God..." Martha breathed. Amy only stared in shock as the beast coughed weakly, the arm shifting closer to his wickedly sharp teeth. With a final spluttering gasp of a sound, the body in the dragon's throat sprawled across the creature's huge tongue.

The Doctor spat the bedraggled man onto the dusty ground. Greenish slime coated his chipped armor and his face was caked with grit. A few golden coins clinked past his teeth, landing in an unorganized fashion around the man.

"RORY!" Amy fell to her knees next to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, not caring at the moment that he was covered in gunk. His left arm awkwardly embraced her and she buried her head into his shoulder. "I thought I'd lost you." She choked out.

"Not that easy." He replied weakly, his chest heaving. She could feel the eyes of her friends on her back. She didn't care. She cupped his cheek and he did the same, their green eyes connecting. "Amy-" He choked out.

"No, don't say anything." She whispered. He nodded, his eyes half-lidded. "You know, I think I-" Her voice cracked. "I think I love you."

Before he could even work up a reply, she pressed her lips to his in a kiss, her arms wrapping tightly around him. Tension flooded out of him.

He was alive.

She was in love.

Neither cared about the disgusting ooze coating them both.

Jack let out a low whistle. Donna mumbled something along the lines of: "About bloody time."

They stayed that way for what they both thoughts was too little time. She reluctantly pulled away first, turning her head to shoot a heated glare at the dragon.

"What the hell were you thinking!?" She roared. He flinched.

"Sorry?" His voice pitched upwards near the end of the word. His eyes suddenly widened. With a sharp noise of surprise, he stuck out his tongue and wiggled it from side to side, his eyes slightly crossed from trying to stare at it. His snout wrinkled in distaste. "Bleargh. Tastes almost like-"

Amy looked down at her hands while he was speaking, her heart skipping a beat when she realized that a coppery substance tinged them. "Shit, are you bleeding?" His hand flew to his leg, a dark stain beginning to spread on the grass below him. The Doctor's ears pressed flat against his skull.

"Where'd you get that cut?" His voice sounded more than a little bit nervous.

"Take a wild guess." He snapped. He Martha was kneeling beside them in an instant, Donna's reassuring hand on her shoulder, Clara bending beside Martha, and the shadows of the four men towering over Rory as he lay in a wounded heap.

"Alright, I'm going to need you to relax," Martha instructed. "Can you shift it at all?" He lifted it with a sharp and somewhat jerky motion, wincing in pain when Martha tried to turn it to get a look.

"How bad is it?" Martha bit her lip.

"Bad." Amy felt anger turn her stomach into a tight knot. She stood, keeping one hand on Rory's shoulder as Martha worked on his leg.

"This is your fault!" She accused, standing on tip-toes to see into his guilty eyes.

"I know." She struggled to find words, practically spitting the next sentence.

"You ate him!" He pulled back.

"Not really." He argued. Her nostrils flared, her vision now tinted red. He shrank back, his claws skidding in the loose ground in a way that would be comical under any other circumstance. Somehow, that just enraged her all the more. Before she could shout him down, Jack's voice cut in.

"You did technically eat him, big guy." Jack pointed out. "I mean, judging from what I saw."

"No, I didn't. Eating implies chewing. And other-" He grimaced. "Less pleasant things..." Amy glared at him, gesturing to the bleeding gash decorating Rory's leg.

"I think you took a damn good bite out of him."

"Agreed," Martha mumbled, pressing a strip of cloth over the one the man had already applied. Rory took a few heaving breaths, gripping Amy's arm with his blood covered fingers. She didn't pull away.

"Look, dragons- we-" He sighed heavily. "We have this thing called a crop." He offered. Amy narrowed her eyes. "It's for holding and transporting objects without digestion." She watched him tip his head back into a thoughtful position. "Don't really remember the last time I used it..."

"Did it have to do with coins, by any chance?" Rory remarked dryly, bracing himself heavily on Amy's arm as he tried to get into a sitting position.

"Don't move!" Martha hissed. The Doctor grinned.

"Right! Blimey, that had to have been at least a century ago..." Amy still held her glare.

"That doesn't excuse the fact that you bloody swallowed him!" She hissed through grit teeth. A sigh blew past his lips.

"I know..." His ears slumped forwards. "You trusted me and I'm sorry. I was just trying to protect him." He turned to face Rory. "I said I wouldn't eat you and I lied. I'm so so sorry. I didn't even talk to you when I- you know... I just didn't want to scare you any more than you already were..." He looked deeply ashamed of himself. "I understand if you don't want to-"

"Oh, cut it out, you soppy git." Amy interrupted. His ears jolted back into their normal position. "Look," She sighed. "You were doing what you thought was right, which turned out to be bloody disgusting-"

"Emphasis on the bloody," Martha mumbled. Amy took a few steps closer to The Doctor.

"But you did the right thing, yeah? You saved him." Rory and the dragon made eye contact once more. Amy felt him tense under her, prompting a low:

"Don't move." From Martha. He forced himself to relax.

"You didn't know I was bleeding. This isn't your fault. Not entirely, anyway." The Doctor grinned toothily at them, his huge eyes scanning the small group.

His eyes suddenly flicked to Danny, the pupils reverting to reptilian slits. He pulled back his upper lip to reveal sharp teeth. "Who's that?" He growled, taking a few steps closer. His claws landed on either side of the small crowd clustered around the wounded man.

His white underbelly nearly touched Amy's head, heat resonating from his chest. His voice rumbled around them in a low baritone. "Who are you?" He snarled.

"D-Danny Pink." The man managed to stutter. Amy could feel the heat intensifying, bursts of light shooting from between the creature's jaws. Clara shakily stood, pacing around the dragon's head on nervous feet.

"He's with us." She supplied. The Doctor looked between her and the man, his head still low to the ground.

"Is that so?" He all but hissed.

"He wants to help." She affirmed. The Doctor shuffled to the left a few feet and crossed his paws, lying down with a thud. His tail curled protectively around all except for Danny and Clara. His head rested beside the schoolteacher, his hot breath blowing her hair back. "He fixed up my ankle."

"In that case..." The Doctor's intimidating snarl dropped. "Welcome to the team!"

Amy leaned over the bushy tail to see the bandage covering Clara's foot, though she didn't look too closely. She knelt next to Martha, getting her first good view of just how bad Rory's situation was. She inhaled sharply.

"Jesus..." Blood had begun to seep through the next bandage and Martha worked frantically to stop the flow.

"Martha..." Donna's voice trailed off. "Is he going to be alright?" Martha's facade fell.

"I don't know. He's lost a lot of blood." Hot tears pricked at the back of Amy's eyes.

"You've gotta make it. I'm not losing you now." Rory smiled weakly. She gripped his hand. "I mean it."

"I know." She blinked furiously. "No, don't cry." He gently brought her hand to his cheek. "Don't."

"I'm trying." She sniffed.

"Shh, c'mere." She fell into his arms, wrapping her hands around his neck. Tears trailed down her cheeks, silent sobs racking her frame.

"I never even bloody told you, but I've always loved you." She blubbered, her defenses crumbling. "You never even knew. I didn't want to admit it, but now I have, and it's too late..."

"Did you really think it was all one-sided?" He asked. "Amy I-" His eyes fluttered closed. His grip loosened. She felt sick.

"No, Rory, hold on!" She pleaded, clasping his cold fingers in her own. Martha's hand found her shoulder, but she pulled away, crying into the shoulder of the man who had never known just how much she cared.

The man she had loved unconditionally as a best friend through her childhood.

The man she had loved for years afterward.

The man she had no future with anymore.

"Amy. He's-"

"It wasn't supposed to go like this." She choked out.

"I know, but-"

"No, you don't know!" Amy exploded, rounding on Martha with a sudden ferocity. "You don't have any idea how I feel!"

"Listen to me!" Martha shot back. "He's not dead!" Amy's anger faded in an instant.

"He's-"

"Alive." Martha finished. "His heart's still beating and he's still breathing. He's unconscious. Blood loss finally caught up with him..." Amy's knees gave out from under her and she slumped against the dragon's tail.

She wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

"He's going to be alright." The Doctor's voice rumbled. "I could- I could wake him up..." Amy didn't respond. Everything was numb. "This all my fault. I should've warned him." She didn't have the strength to agree with him. "Amy?"

She looked up wearily.

"Do you want me to? I can't guarantee it'll-" She nodded mutely, scrubbing at her face to try and hide her tears. Tension flooded out of The Doctor and he dipped his head in concentration, his ears drooping limply on either side of his head.

Clara delicately stepped over his tail, urging Danny to follow.

"What's he doing?" He asked, nervously brushing up against the bushy mane. Nobody noticed how The Doctor tensed when Danny came into contact with him.

"The Doctor's a telepath." Jack tried to explain. "Most dragons use the skill aggressively." A small smirk found his lips. "He's a special snowflake."

"I can still hear you, you know." Jack grinned broadly.

"I know." Donna shook her head.

"Look, he's basically rummaging around in Rory's head to try and wake him up."

"That's pretty much the gist of it." The Doctor agreed. His tongue peeked out from between his lips in concentration. His eyelids twitched. Amy gently brushed Rory's hair out of his eyes, trying desperately to convince herself that he'd be alright.

She squeezed his hand tightly, running her thumb over his knuckles.

"Stay with me, okay?" She whispered. "Just stay with me."

Rory's grip on Amy's arm tightened. Her heart soared. "It's working!" Amy breathed. Cold sweat dripped down her back. Slowly, Rory's eyes began to flutter open, his pupils expanding and contracting wildly.

"MOVE!" Martha demanded, fumbling at his wrist for a pulse. The Doctor trembled, a soft growl escaping him. His head snapped back abruptly, his eyes flying open.

At the same time, Rory let out a shuddering cough and sat bolt upright as though electrocuted. His chest heaved. His body shook. His panicked eyes shot to Amy's.

Jack rushed to The Doctor's side. "Hey, easy there big guy!" The Doctor's eyes remained slits and he snarled in warning when Jack approached. Jack instantly fell back. "Easy..." Even he couldn't keep the note of fear out of his voice.

The dragon's eyes shut and he collapsed in a heap, his legs twitching in the air. Jack had to leap out of the way before the creature's huge head connected with the dusty ground. Amy held onto Rory's arm, forcing him to stay upright.

"Rory?" He slumped forwards. She caught him around the waist. "RORY?" His eyes rolled back in his head.

"DOCTOR!" The dragon's eyes opened. Rory's profuse shaking suddenly ceased.

"That-" The Doctor managed to choke out between heaving breaths. "Was not a pleasant experience..." His bone white teeth chattered.

"Rory? Rory, talk to me!" Amy spluttered, keeping her hands on his shoulders.

"Doctor, easy! What happened?" Jack tried to stay in front of the dragon's snout as the creature swayed back and forth.

"I-" Amy kept her eyes on Rory as the dragon tried to regain control of its speech. "Light." He finally managed to heave. "It was-" The dragon's frame shook heavily.

"My leg-" Rory gasped. "Hurts." Amy's gaze shot to the bloodied bandages. She slowly reached for them and gave a gentle tug. They peeled off easily and fell into a heap on the ground, coiling around his ankle like a snake, lifeless and crimson.

"That's impossible." Martha breathed.

"Clearly not.." Clara's voice was somewhat subdued in tone. She was clearly holding back her real reaction. Amy, however, hardly heard any of it.

"It's gone..." A white scar remained on the man's leg, stretching from the back of his knee down to his ankle. The wound was closed, not a single drop of blood spilling from it. He shakily got to his feet, standing beside Amy with one arm wrapped around her shoulders.

They all watched the two men circle the dragon as it stumbled on uncertain limbs.

"You alright there Doc?" John questioned, moving to join Jack in front of the huge snout.

"Fine." He gasped. "Just-" His voice broke into an animalistic yelp. Blood pounded in Amy's ears as she watched the huge creature writhe on the ground. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" He roared. The small group stumbled back, only Jack and John holding their ground.

His yelps and snarls filled the air, his front claws hooking behind his ears and forcing his head down. His raspy breaths were labored and shallow, his pupils dark and soulless. With a final shuddering sigh of a noise, his head snapped back up again.

A golden mist spiraled from between his lips before vanishing into the air.

"Is this normal?" Danny asked, his voice shaking. Amy shook her head.

"Definitely not." She growled. The Doctor's gaze settled on them, his eyes wide.

"Is everyone alright?" He rasped. Donna nodded.

"Gave us quite the fright though." Her brow furrowed. "What about you? You aren't looking too good." The Doctor shook his head as if trying to clear it.

"I'm always alright." His attempt at lightheartedness fell flat. The golden fumes still lingered around his mouth, drifting away in the breeze. He brought his head low to the ground. "But..." He rolled the word around in the back of his throat for a moment. "That's not important."

He made eye contact with each one of them in turn. "What matters," He continued, "Is that you are all alive. But-" His tone darkened. "Rose isn't here..." The tension leaking off of Jack and John seemed too thick to cut with even one of the dragon's teeth.

"We got caught," Jack admitted.

"His fault," John grumbled. The Doctor didn't respond right away, closing his eyes and taking a few heaving breaths before responding.

"So that settles it." The wicked gleam in his eyes made Amy's skin crawl. He made sure to make eye contact with each and every one of them. Jack was the only one who could look into his predatory eyes for more than a few seconds. The Doctor grinned in a fashion that made her distinctly uncomfortable. "We're storming the castle."


End file.
